Always Be My Baby
by PlayTheGame
Summary: The lives of Stephanie McMahon and Paul Levesque come crashing down around them when they are told they can no longer be together. HHH/Steph McMahon.
1. Chapter 1

Stephanie sighed heavily as she swirled the wine around the glass. The red liquid made a lapping sound as it sloshed against the sides of the thin wine glass. She closed her eyes and took a sip, letting the sweet taste consume her. She was used to this feeling. She'd been drinking a hell of a lot more than she used to ever since _that day_.

* * *

The silence in the room was deafening. They both stood in utter shock at the words that had just been said. Vince looked at them and felt even guiltier than he originally had. It was just hitting him now how deep this thing between them had gotten. Linda had warned him. She'd told him that he couldn't just take away what he'd given them permission to do just a few months ago. He'd allowed them to fall for each other and now the heartache was just going to be worse. He looked at his daughter's face. She looked broken. He glanced at Paul but couldn't quite make out what he was feeling. He just stood there, looking as stoic as he'd ever seen him.

"I'll give you two a minute," he said quietly and walked towards the door. Just before he walked out of the room, he turned slightly and sighed. "I'm really sorry." With that, he left them to their own devices, sure that they would rather not have him standing there while they discussed this.

Stephanie watched as the door closed. She couldn't bring herself to look at him. She could feel his presence as he moved closer to her but she just couldn't look at him. If she did, she was sure that the tears would come. His hands rested on her shoulders and he turned her to face him. Sure enough, a tear escaped her and was quickly followed by a few more. Paul took one look at her and immediately pulled her into his arms. She clutched the back of his shirt as if she was never going to see him again. The irony was, she would be seeing him every day but would never be able to hold him like this again. Not after those fateful words were uttered in this very room not ten minutes ago.

"_I'm sorry but, you have to stop seeing each other."_

Paul swallowed hard as he repeated the words in his head. He pulled her closer and buried his face into her soft hair. When would he get to do this again? Would he ever get to do this again? When Vince had called them into his office, this was the last thing he was expecting.

"I can't believe this is happening," she all but whispered. Ever since they had been given the go ahead, she'd allowed herself to fall for him. And fall for him she had. She let out a shaky breath and slowly pulled back from the warmth of his body. She looked at his face, at his eyes which were staring blankly at the door.

"Paul?"

Paul," she called again.

Try as he might, he could never deny her when she sounded so desperate. He pried his eyes from the door and felt his heart break as he looked into her beautiful but sad eyes.

"What does this mean? For us?" she asked, wiping at her tear stained face.

"I don't know Steph. I don't know," he answered truthfully, bringing his hands up to her face. He pushed her hands away and finished wiping her tears, all the while fighting back his own which were threatening to fall with every passing second.

"How can he do this?" she suddenly fumed, her anger at the situation finally bubbling to the surface.

"Steph...." Paul could see that she was getting angry and the last thing he wanted was an upset and pissed off Stephanie McMahon to deal with. This situation was bad enough without anger making it worse.

"No Paul. He can't just tell us that we can be together and then take it back like we don't have feelings or emotions! This isn't right!"

"I know that but.....you have to think about it from his point of view." With her questioning look he continued. "People are talking Steph, you know that. He can't have people questioning his champion, his business decisions."

"So you're taking his side on this?" she asked incredulously.

"Of course not. I wouldn't ever want anything to come between us. Ever, Steph. But I'm just saying that I can understand where he's coming from.....sort of," he managed a small smile at the end.

She let his words sink in and unconsciously nodded her head. He was right. Her father had to think of the company. Besides, she knew her dad loved her unconditionally and would never do something like this to her unless he had to. Still, that didn't make it any better. As she thought about trying to go on without him, the tears started back up again.

Paul saw her beautiful features soften, then harden with a frown before salty tears slipped from her eyes and slowly rolled down her cheeks. His heart broke. He was feeling every bit as miserable as she looked. He reached out and lifted her chin between his finger and thumb, raising her tear stained face level with his own. She was looking at the ground and he sighed softly.

"Steph, look at me," he asked gently.

She tore her gaze from the ground and looked into his wonderful hazel eyes. Eyes that had become her safe place. Eyes that told her every time she looked into them just how much he cared for her. And eyes that right now looked lost in a multitude of sadness. He took her hands and intertwined their fingers and leaned his forehead against hers.

"I care for you. I care for you a lot more than I ever expected I would. If this thing between us is meant to be, then it will happen. We've just got to trust it," he all but whispered.

* * *

Stephanie could still feel his hands in hers, his forehead pressed against her own and his breath sweeping across her face. His words repeated themselves over and over again in her mind. It had been a couple of months ago since they were told to break it off. Did the fact that they hadn't got back together mean that they weren't meant to be? She shrugged that thought off and took another sip of wine. That couldn't be right. Not with the way she still felt about him.


	2. Chapter 2

Again I forgot the disclaimer lol. I don't own anything, they all belong to Vince etc.

* * *

The locker room was noisy as it filled with chirpy WWE superstars. Last night's 'No Way Out' pay per view was a huge success and the buzz was still hanging in the air for Raw tonight. Paul groaned as he practically fell into a chair near the front of the room. His body was in agony. He seriously thought he was going to throb to death. His head was throbbing, his back was throbbing, his feet were throbbing and his leg......well his leg was just about ready to explode. He sucked in a breath as a hot burn shot from his knee upwards. He needed to slow down and his body was telling him that. Something was going to give on him pretty soon, he just hoped it wouldn't be too serious. He leaned back in the chair, his body tense while the wave of pain passed. Damn those things hurt. But as he opened his eyes and they locked on to the person standing at the other side of the room, the pain in his leg and body felt like nothing compared to the stabbing pain in his heart. Stephanie. He held her gaze for the longest time, as if they were the only two people in the crowded room.

"OK let's begin."

Vince's voice broke the spell and they tore their eyes from each other's gaze and turned to him. While everybody else in the room was busy talking and chatting amongst themselves, Stephanie and Paul were silent, too wrapped up in each other to notice. But somebody did notice their longing gaze. Vince swallowed the small lump in his throat. It had been a good few months since he'd told them to break it off but they obviously still hadn't gotten over each other. Part of him wished they would just ignore him and be together. The other part of him was happy they had respected his wishes. Paul was one hell of an asset to the company and a genuinely nice guy. He loved the wrestling business, loved everything about it and it was becoming more and more obvious that he was in love with his daughter too. It was written all over his face, at least to Vince anyway. He was always good at reading people. He didn't think much of it at first, not until Linda had seen the two of them and how they acted around each other. She was the one who pointed it out and now it was clear as day. He shook his head and focused on the task at hand, the meeting.

"Last night was a great show people and I expect more of the same tonight. Special mentions go out to Steve and Paul. You guys put on one hell of a show. That 2 out of 3 falls match was one of the craziest things I've ever seen. That puts an end to Triple H Austin though. Now we move on to Rock Austin and Triple H Undertaker as the main events for Wrestlemania 17....."

Stephanie looked over at him as her father droned on. He was right about last night. Everybody was raving about the 2 out of 3 falls match and without having any bias towards Paul's abilities at all, the match was simply amazing. But it had to have taken a toll on both of their bodies and looking at Paul right now, he didn't seem to be in the best of shape. His usual straight posture was reduced to a slouch, his face looked weary and beaten with that huge band aid on his head and his eyes were a little bleary. She would love nothing more than to just walk over there and pull him into her arms. God she'd had the urge to do that for so long now. She took every chance she could get to be close to him on the show. Yes it was risky doing it on live television but she couldn't help it. Although it didn't really mean anything, being close to him and being his 'wife' on the show was the only thing keeping her from going insane. At the same time, it was the thing that tore her heart up every time they walked through that curtain and the acting stopped. She stared at the notes on the table, not trusting herself to look up and face meeting his stare again. She didn't know how much longer she could take this. She'd even gone so far as to write herself a storyline with Kurt to get away from him. That was when her father had told them to split and it was just too much for her to bear at that time. So she made herself Kurt's manager and therefore had less scenes with Triple H. But that had changed. Now she was back to being Mrs. Game and she had to admit, she loved it. Triple H was such an interesting character and she loved her own character too. In her eyes, Stephanie McMahon Helmsley and Triple H were a match made in heaven and so were their real life counterparts. She was off in her own little world and was only broken out of it by the sound of scraping chairs. Looking around the room, she saw everybody getting up and making their way to the door to prepare for the show later tonight. Just as she picked up her things, her name was called but by two different people.

"Stephanie!" called Vince trying to get her attention. He looked at Paul who was also trying to do the same thing. Paul dropped his head and nodded at Vince with a small smile.

"You can have her. I just wanted to run lines that's all," he said quietly, keeping his attention on Vince.

Vince looked at Stephanie, who was looking at Paul, who was looking at him and sighed. He was probably going to regret this later but the two of them looked so damn miserable. "That's alright. You two run your lines. I don't want any screw ups on my show, you hear?" he smiled and slapped Paul on the back before heading to the door. "I'll catch up with you later Stephanie, keep your beeper on." And with that he was gone, leaving Paul and Stephanie alone in the quiet room.

Paul cleared his throat and finally looked in her direction, smiling slightly. She looked pretty, standing there holding her files and chewing her lip. He loved when she did that. Shaking that thought from his head, he cleared his throat a second time. "Hey."

"Hey," she replied. Why did this always happen? They hadn't been together in months yet every time they got together to run lines or just hang out, this awkward start would always happen before they became comfortable around each other. Deciding to get it out of the way quickly this time, she took a step closer to him. "Great match last night, Paul. I was holding my breath the entire time."

"You liked it?" he asked with that familiar twinkle coming back to his eyes. He loved it when someone complimented his matches. It was recognition of his devotion to the business and his ability to perform.

"Of course I did! You took quite a beating though, are you ok? I don't know if you remember but you could barely stand once you got back."

"Yeah, I'm fine. Just a little sore you know," he offered a smile to try and put her at ease although he knew she saw right through him. She always did.

"I hate seeing you like that," she said sadly. He put his body through so much. Even though they hadn't been together at the time, she remembered feeling physically sick to her stomach after his Street Fight with Mick last year and then again after the Hell in the Cell match. Sometimes she wished he would say no to the crazy ideas put to him. It would sure as hell save her a lot a worry. Him too. She knew he was lying to her. It was obvious he was in pain but that was Paul. You could dip him in boiling oil and he'd tell you he was fine. She sighed and without realising it, she reached out and touched his arm, stroking her fingers over his soft warm skin. "I just don't want to see you get hurt," she whispered staring at the dirty floor.

Paul swallowed hard. Damn her for touching him. He felt his insides swimming all over the place. In front of the crowd and the cameras, he could deal with their affectionate contact. It was all for show anyway. Well most of it was. But back here in this deserted room, it took everything he had not to pull her into his arms. Instead, he lifted her chin and forced her to look at him. "I'm not hurt, Steph. Yeah I'm a little sore but it's nothing I've never dealt with before. It'll be gone by Smackdown," he said softly, trying to convince her that he was indeed fine when he was everything but.

As she stared into his eyes, the last time they stood like this came crashing back to her. It was all those months ago when they'd been standing in her dad's office, just like this, their final moments together as a couple. She squeezed her eyes shut as she tried to block out the memory with no luck.

Her pained expression caused him to frown. "Steph?"

"Do you remember the last time we stood like this?" she whispered and watched as he nodded his head.

"Of course I remember. I'll never forget it," he whispered back, slowly inching his face closer to hers.

Stephanie closed her eyes again and let it happen. This shouldn't be happening but she didn't want to fight it anymore. His prickly cheek rubbed against hers and she breathed him in, her hand coming to rest on his other cheek. He dragged his face across hers, their lips rubbing together as he moved to the other side and nuzzled into her skin. He pulled back then moved in to catch her lips. Just before they met, a loud bang quickly evaporated the magical spell and they broke apart, both breathing heavily at what almost happened between them.

"Oh crap! Sorry guys, I didn't realise there was anybody in here. Thought the meeting was over," one of the camera crew said apologetically as he tried to lift the heavy camera equipment off the ground. He was joined by a few others carrying similar equipment and they all piled into the room and got to work, ironically transforming the dirty room into the McMahon-Helmsley Locker Room. "We'll be done in about fifteen minutes. Then the room's all yours Trips!"

Paul smiled at the man and shook his head. "Thanks man. We'll get out of your way." He motioned to the door and Stephanie walked out before him. They both stood outside for a moment or two, not saying anything, still too caught up in what almost happened a few minutes ago. Stephanie cursed herself for her foolishness. Yes she wanted it to happen but that didn't mean that it could. Her father would be sorely disappointed if they completely disregarded what he said. She straightened up, smoothed her skirt and gripped her files tighter. "Well, I've got to go now."

He stared at her in confusion. "I thought we were going to run lines?" She was running. Running away from him and what nearly happened. Had the camera crew not interrupted them, he was sure they would have kissed and God knows where that would have taken them. Maybe she was right to run.

"We can do that later. I've got to meet my dad. I'll see you later," she uttered, gripping her files even tighter at the look on his face.

"Steph! Steph!" he called gently and shook his head as he watched her walk away. If she was right to run from him then why did this whole situation feel so damn wrong?


	3. Chapter 3

"Stephanie would you like some more wine?"

Stephanie cleared her head and came out of her dream world with her mother's question. She stared at her blankly, not quite sure what she said but knowing that she said something. Linda looked at her daughter curiously. She had been acting strangely all night. Something was definitely up with her.

"Are you OK" she asked with concern and narrowed her eyes at Stephanie's nod. She knew her daughter too well. She was lying but she'd get it out of her later.

"I'm fine mom, really," she smiled at her mother reassuringly.

Linda held the wine bottle towards her. "More wine?"

Stephanie nodded her head and took a sip when her mother stopped pouring. "Mmmm. This is good," she remarked, trying to make small talk. Her head wasn't fully there. Instead it was still back in that locker room earlier today. Paul's face was moving closer and closer. She could feel his breath on her face.

"Stephanie!"

For the second time in a few minutes, her mother's voice broke her reverie and she stared at her with narrowed eyes. She glanced at her dad who was busy chatting with Shane and Marissa about something before looking back at her mother. Linda leaned across the table and Stephanie followed suit.

"You want to tell me what's up with you? You've been drifting in and out of dream land all night. And don't tell me you're fine because I know you're not" she said in the way that only a mother can.

Stephanie stared at the table and shook her head. "It's nothing mom. I swear. Today was just really hectic, that's all." She gave her best smile and was relieved to see her mother's face soften.

"I just worry you know. Being at the top of this company isn't easy. If it's too much, just say and we can lighten the work load. There are plenty of people that would be willing to step up." Linda said softly as she reached across and patted Stephanie's hand. She frowned when she felt the smooth, cold surface hit her fingers. Looking down, she noticed that Stephanie still had her wedding ring on from the show. She looked back at her and smiled. "Today must have been hectic. You've forgotten to take your wedding ring off!" She exclaimed lifting Stephanie's hand into the air then setting it back down. "How is your 'husband' by the way?" she asked innocently.

Stephanie stared at her absolutely horrified. She couldn't answer questions about Paul and what the hell with the wedding ring! How could she forget to take it off? She stared at the shiny gold band, then lifted her head and was met with four curious faces staring back. Trust the rest of her family to choose now to join into their conversation.

"Yeah, Stephanie. How is Paul? I hope he's looking forward to this program with Taker. It should be just as good as his feud with Steve," Vince piped in happily until he noticed the almost deer-caught-in-the-headlights-expression on his daughter's face. He frowned and looked at his wife then back at Stephanie. "Steph are you alright?"

Stephanie could feel the walls of the restaurant closing in on her. Her mother, father, Shane and Marissa were all staring at her. The gold band on her finger felt like it was burning into her and she could still see the heart breaking look on Paul's face as she walked away from him earlier today. "I'm fine OK! Would you all stop asking what's wrong. There's nothing wrong because I'm fine," she snapped. She stood and headed straight for the door, needing to get some fresh air and needing to get away from all these damn questions.

The rest of the McMahon family stared at each other in shock. It wasn't like Stephanie to just snap like that. It usually took a lot to get to her. Vince made a move to go after her when Marissa stopped him.

"I'll go. Maybe she needs some girl talk," she smiled sympathetically at him and headed towards the door. She walked outside and saw Stephanie leaning against the wall with her eyes closed. She probably didn't know she was doing it, but her right hand was wrapped around her left one, subconsciously protecting the ring on her finger. The ring she had yet to take off. Marissa smiled sadly. She knew what this was about. She approached her sister in law and placed a comforting hand on her shoulder.

Stephanie's eyes opened slowly and she nodded at Marissa. They had always got along well. Shane had been dating her since forever and they really were like sisters. "I'm fine, Rissa."

"Don't try to play me, Stephanie. Something's obviously got you like this, or rather someone," she stated and deadpanned when Stephanie looked at her with a slightly shocked expression on her face. "Come on, Steph. I know this is about Paul. Spill it," she coaxed. When she got no reply she bumped her shoulder and tried again. "Stephanie," she said in a sing song voice which caused a brief smile to appear on the other woman's face.

"OK you're right! Happy now?" she replied in a huff.

Marissa laughed and bumped her shoulder. "Steph come on. It's me. You know you can tell me. What happened?"

Stephanie sighed heavily as she pulled the ring from her finger. She stared at it for a second before putting it inside her pocket and looking at Marissa. "We almost kissed today," she admitted.

"What!?" Marissa was genuinely shocked. She knew Stephanie had been devastated when they were told to break it off. She wasn't that close to Paul and didn't know him all that well but Shane had told her that he'd taken it pretty badly too. She never guessed that they would go against Vince though. Even if she didn't know Paul personally, she knew enough to know that Paul respected Vince and vice versa. Vince had nothing but good things to say about Paul and he was discussed over the dinner table many times.

"I know, Riss. I can't believe it almost happened. And you know what? The only reason it didn't is because the camera crew broke it up. God what the hell am I doing?" Her hand ran over her face as she sighed.

Marissa's heart went out to her. She knew that they hadn't told each other those three little words when they were together but there was no doubt in her mind that Stephanie was in love with him. And for Paul to risk kissing her at the arena spoke volumes. He had to feel the same way otherwise he'd be crazy to just be fooling around like that. "Did you want it to happen?"

The answer was so quiet she almost didn't hear it. She looked at her and this time, she heard the answer.

"Yes," Stephanie managed to get out. She was in serious danger of breaking down here. She'd already spilled too many tears over this whole situation and was determined not to spill any more. She looked at her sister in law in desperate need of advice. "What am I going to do? I can't stop thinking about him. I thought I'd get over it but I don't think I can. And then that had to happen today. Tempting me. I don't know what to do. I miss him so much but my dad....." she broke off, not able to continue.

"Have you tried dating anybody else? Maybe the only way to move on is to actually move on. I know this guy, Oscar. He's a really sweet guy. Maybe you two could go out sometime?" suggested Marissa. The only way to get her mind off of Paul was if she distanced herself from him.

"I don't know. I don't think I'm ready for that yet," Stephanie replied hesitantly. The thought of trying to date again didn't seem appealing at all. Especially when her heart belonged to another.

"Steph, you have to try something. If you keep going on like this then you're going to be miserable. You have to try and get over him and if it's not happening on its own then you have to make it happen. You never know it might be fun," she smiled reassuringly and pulled out her cell phone.

Stephanie was gazing out at the busy street and when she turned around her face fell. "Marissa!" she called angrily.

Marissa swatted her hand away as she talked on the phone. "Hi Oscar, its Marissa here. I'm doing great, what about you? That's great. Listen, do you remember my sister in law? I was telling you about her the other day? Yes, Stephanie. Well she told me that she'd love to go out with you some time. Sure I'll give you her number and you can sort it out. It's 555-4967. You get that? OK great. Good luck! Bye!" She hung up the phone and laughed at the mortified expression on Stephanie's face.

"I CANNOT BELIEVE YOU JUST DID THAT!" Stephanie exclaimed, causing a few people who were walking by to turn and stare at them oddly.

"Steph....."

"OH MY GOD!"

"Calm down will you? It's just a date for Christ sakes!" Marissa couldn't stop the laughter. Stephanie's expression was priceless. Yeah, it wasn't the nicest thing to do but if she ever wanted to get over Paul then she figured a good kick in the right direction would do no harm. Stephanie was still staring at her in shock. Marissa copied her expression and without meaning to, Stephanie chuckled. That was all it took to send both women into fits of laughter. After a minute or two, they calmed down and Stephanie pulled Marissa into a hug.

"Thanks, Rissa. You don't know how much I needed that laugh. Maybe you're right," she said as they broke apart.

"I am right. Now come, let's head back in before Shane eats all the desert." Marissa pulled on her arm and they headed back inside. As they sat back down at the table, Stephanie reassured her family that she was fine. Maybe Marissa was right. Maybe going on a date with somebody other than Paul would help get her mind off him and maybe it would help her finally move on. She smiled at that thought and tucked into her hot fudge cake. But as the hot desert warmed her mouth with it's wonderful flavour, she wondered if anybody would ever be able to warm her heart in the same way as the man she simply couldn't have always managed to do.


	4. Chapter 4

The cool night air was a welcome feeling as he walked along the busy street. He stuffed one hand in his pocket and ran the other through his hair with a sigh. Stephanie had practically bolted after their near kiss earlier today and then bolted again after their on air scene. What had happened had obviously freaked her out. Him too. They'd agreed to respect Vince's wishes but damn if it wasn't hard when she was standing that close and he could smell her perfume and see into her wonderful blue eyes that didn't for one second look like she wanted him to stop. He had to stop thinking like this or else another situation like today would happen and God only knows what would happen then. Vince would freak the hell out if they went behind his back. People were starting to talk. Some of the boys still thought they were together and he was used to the funny looks and hushed voices as he walked past. He guessed that it took a situation like this to arise for you to really find out who your friends are. But if he was being honest, he really didn't care. It was none of their business as far as he was concerned. Who he decided to have a relationship with was nothing to do with them. Apparently that was wrong though. After their original talk, Vince had talked to him separately. He had told him exactly how he felt about the boys in the back but the older man was quick to correct him. It was in fact their business because it affected them. Or so they felt. Some had went to Vince themselves and told him how they didn't like the fact that he was sleeping with one of the bookers. It had to have been somebody high up otherwise Vince wouldn't have cared. If he ever found out who it was he wouldn't hesitate to smack him in the face. Selfish bastard. He turned the corner and spied a few bars lining the street. He wasn't a drinker but if there was ever anything that would drive him to drink it would be this. He didn't know how much longer he could take working with her in such close proximity yet knowing that he couldn't have anything with her outside the ring. It was slowly but surely killing him. He walked past the musty bars and the stench of alcohol and smoke quickly filled his lungs. His face screwed up and he hurried along, heading in the direction of the hotel. The best thing would probably be to just get to his room, order some room service and crash there. Damn he sounded like such a chick! He let out a soft chuckle as he spotted the hotel and crossed the road. As he entered, he saw none other than the McMahon family themselves mulling around the reception desk. His heart caught in his throat when he saw her standing there, completely oblivious to him. She always did have the ability to take his breath away. She looked stunning in her red dress and killer red heels. He tried but failed miserably in tearing his eyes from her. As he took a step, something hard connected with his leg.

"Shit!" He cursed as he wobbled about, trying to stay on his feet. But it was useless and he fell over the Bellboy's trolley, causing a huge crashing sound to ring around the reception area.

"Oh My God! Sir, are you alright? Sir? Sir?" cried the helpless Bellboy. In an upstanding hotel like this, something this silly could lose him his job. He looked at the other man who was currently picking himself up off the ground.

Paul groaned as he finally got to his feet. His shin was in agony. He glared at the young Bellboy. "I'm fine! Jesus! You really need to watch where you're going, kid." He dusted himself off and when he finally lifted his head, he saw her watching him from across the room. This was the last thing he needed. The entire McMahon family just saw him fall over and make an ass of himself. Their eyes connected and he felt a tug in his chest. He wanted nothing more than to walk over there and take her into his arms. Like that was going to happen with Vince standing there. He'd be liable to get a smack in the jaw.

"I'm so sorry sir. Is everything ok?" came the concerned voice next to him. He tore his eyes from Stephanie's and looked at the older suited man. Poor guy looked terrified that he was going to sue or something. For a brief second he allowed a smile to grace his face before growing serious again.

"I'm fine. Really, it's nothing to worry about," he assured him.

"That's great. If you'd like an upgrade or......"

"No no. Like I said, I'm great." He just wanted the guy to go the hell away. Thankfully he did. He watched as he made his way across the carpeted floor and back behind his desk. The rest of the people that were curiously looking on quickly realised that the commotion was over and went back to their business. Except the McMahon's who all came bumbling over.

"Paul!" barked Vince as he shot a death glare at the Bellboy. "What the hell was that? Are you hurt?"

Paul inwardly cringed. Something about this situation made him feel really uncomfortable. "I'm fine Vince really. He just whacked my shin that's all."

"You should sue his damn ass for being such a God damn idiot!" he roared all over the room causing the terrified young man to practically run to the elevators and the manager behind the desk to almost pee his pants!

"Vince!" cried Linda. She slapped him lightly on the arm as if scolding a child.

"What? He could have injured one of my stars for God's sake!" Vince reasoned, finally turning his attention back to the group in front of him.

There was a weird silence as Paul tried to keep his gaze from Stephanie's. He didn't want to look at her for fear of everyone knowing how he truly felt. But she wasn't making it easy. He knew she was staring right at him. It would seem strange if he didn't even acknowledge her so he did. Their eyes met and again he felt that same tug in his chest. She looked so beautiful yet so sad.

"Are you sure you're alright? I know how you are, Paul."

Her soft voice and the tender look in her eyes were all too much for him. He had to get away from them. There was no way in hell he was going to stand and talk to her with the whole McMahon clan standing right next to them ready to take notes.

He put on a brave face and smiled at her. "Like I said, I'm fine Steph. Well I've got to get going now. I'll be seeing you." He lifted his hand in a little wave before turning and making his way to the elevators.

"Please don't follow me, please don't follow me," he whispered impatiently. The elevator was taking forever to appear. At last it pinged open and he stepped inside. He hit the number to his floor. The final image he saw just before the doors closed was the sad expression on her face as she watched him from the outside. It haunted him all the way to his room where he immediately crashed on his bed, punching the pillow fiercely.

"Fuck!" he cried in frustration. This thing wasn't going to go away. He was in love with her. Things were going to get a lot more complicated before they got easy.

* * *

"Well that was strange. It's not like Paul to be so abrupt," commented Vince as the family headed towards the hotel bar.

"He did just fall and embarrass himself in front of all those people dear," replied Linda although she knew the real reason he had left so quickly and it was currently walking beside her. Sometimes she thought Vince was blind not to see what was going on.

"I'm sure he'll be fine. You know Paul, he'll laugh it off in the morning," said Shane as they found a booth and took a seat. He glanced at his sister. She hadn't said a word since it happened. "Right Steph?"

Stephanie lifted her gaze from the table and managed a smile. "What? Oh, yeah. Right." She had run out on him back at the arena and now he had done the exact same thing to her. Why were they both so adamant on running from each other. Heck, she even had a date set up! As she debated with herself, she failed to notice the glances shared between her family members across the table.

"Listen guys, I'm not really feeling up to a drink right now. I think I'll just head up to my room." She made the rounds, hugging and kissing her respective family members before heading for the elevators. The remaining McMahons sat quietly. As Linda caught her husband's eye and saw the look on his face, she knew right then and there that he wasn't so blind. He knew what was going on. He also knew that it was his damn fault for letting them be together and then taking it away. She silently hoped that this would smarten him up and make him realise that not only was he hurting one of his top performers, but also his daughter as well.


	5. Chapter 5

It had been just over a week since his little incident in the hotel foyer. And how a week could change everything. Instead of their usual routine of let's-meet-up-and-have-an-awkward-start-but-still-end-up-fine, they instead picked up a new routine of let's-completely-ignore-one-another-except-for-on-air-scenes. When it was time for TV, they acted every bit the loving couple they were meant to be, but once the cameras stopped rolling, an unbearable tension descended upon them and neither of them was willing to fight it off. So it stayed and made things even worse. These are the exact thoughts than were running through Paul's head as he drove to the arena and chomped on his gum. His fingers drummed to the beat of the song playing on the radio absently while his mind worked overtime. He seriously couldn't get her out of his head. His heart had all but broken at the look on her face as the elevator doors closed last week. And ever since then, she hadn't smiled at him once. Their usual banter and flirtatious conversation was gone and was replaced with this stupid, awkward tension.

"Damn," he muttered softly to himself. "You're killing me here, Steph and you don't even know it."

He saw the sign for his exit and began hopping lanes to get off the freeway in time. He pulled off the busy road and made it onto the just as busy street road, coming to rest at a red light. They were in Connecticut for Raw tonight. That usually meant heading back to Steph's place after the show and practically spending the next few days in bed until Smackdown. But not this time. He sighed as the lights went green and the car hummed along. This time he'd be spending his time in his hotel room. Alone. He was just about to wallow in self pity when the flashing light caught his attention. He looked at the dashboard and realised it was the little gas signal. Luckily there was a gas station right ahead. As he pulled in to fill the tank up, he ignored the looks of recognition from the people in the store and just went about his business. He really wasn't in the mood to deal with fans right now. If anybody did decide to bother them, he'd do what he usually did when he felt this way, be Triple H. That way he was able to get away with being an asshole and the fans usually ate it up. That brought a small smile to his face and for a moment or two, he actually stopped thinking about the reason behind his foul mood.

* * *

Stephanie groaned as she flung another outfit over her shoulder. It landed in a heap with all the other ones. She simply had no idea what to wear for this date later tonight. The worst thing about it all was that she'd have to wear it to the arena. Oscar was picking her up and they were heading out straight from there. Her stomach flipped with nervousness as she thought about it. The last time she'd been on a date, it had been with Paul. Hell it hadn't even been a proper date. They went for dinner together all the time but for whatever reason, she knew that this time it was different. The look in his eyes when he'd asked her and his gentle touch as he'd held her hand to the restaurant told her that. From then on it had been her and Paul, together as a couple. She shook that thought from her head. She couldn't think about him. It was just too painful. So was their interaction ever since his little trip in the hotel last week. They'd barely spoken two words to each other and it was killing her. Even if they couldn't be together, she still wanted him as friend. After all, they had started out as friends, really good friends. That's probably why they were so good together. They understood each other, it was that simple. Not to mention the fact that he was gorgeous, sweet, funny, caring and sexy all wrapped into one. She sighed for the millionth time today. Sometimes she really hated her father.

"God dammit!" she cursed as she flung yet another outfit over her shoulder. This one didn't make the bed but it joined the newly formed heap on the floor instead. "So many clothes yet none of them are good enough," she huffed and sat down on the edge of the bed. She shoved the huge mound of clothes out of the way. As she turned back around, her attention fell on her black woollen coat that was currently lying on the ground. She picked it up and felt her eyes water at the sight of the light pink coloured stain on the sleeve. A small smile broke across her face as she remembered how it got there. They had decided on a cute little diner instead of a restaurant. She had ordered a strawberry milkshake after dinner and had tried to coax him into taking a sip. She remembered his wide eyed expression as he looked at the pink liquid then back at her.

"Do you know how fattening those things are? You don't look this good by drinking milkshakes, you know."

She had mocked him and lifted the tall glass up, pushing it towards him with a teasing glint in her eye. "I dare you to take a sip. That is.....if you're _Game_ enough," she challenged cheekily.

The cute little look on her face was too much for him to refuse. As he leaned over to take the straw into his mouth, the glass slipped off the end of the counter and the milkshake spilled all over his seat. Fortunately for him, it fell to the right and completely missed his legs. Unfortunately for her, her coat was sat right next to him and got the brunt of it, the thick pinky liquid staining the arm of her expensive jacket.

"Crap!" The expletive flew out of her mouth as she looked down and saw the mess. She caught him laughing and glared at him. "And what exactly are you laughing at?"

"That would be the fact that karma has reared its ugly head Miss. McMahon! You were forcing me to take a sip and look what happened. Now you've got milkshake all over your coat. You certainly got yours, ha!" he explained with a grin.

She grinned back at him and slurped up what was left of her drink. She set the glass down, then tugged the collar of his shirt and pulled him close. She leaned into his ear and whispered seductively, "How about we get out of here so you can get _yours_?"

She laughed as he immediately called the waiter and asked for the cheque. Within minutes they were outside and on their way back to the hotel, hand in hand and with his jacket wrapped around her shoulders.

Stephanie wiped at the tear that threatened to fall as she recalled the fond memory. They had gone on to spend the rest of the night making love until the wee hours of the morning. It was always that way with him. She could never get enough of him and even when she thought she had, all it took was one more kiss or caress and she was quickly desperate for more.

"Thinking about him isn't going to help matters, Stephanie," she scolded herself. This date was going to be an absolute disaster if she didn't start thinking positively. "OK, you're a beautiful and successful young woman. You can do this!" she coached herself and with a new found resolve, she marched to her closet with a fiery look of determination on her face.

* * *

A/N - Consider this a filler chapter lol. Things really kick off in the next one. Thanks to those who review, it means a lot.


	6. Chapter 6

"Hey Paul, good match man!"

Paul turned his head to see Shane McMahon trotting up behind him as he walked towards his locker room.

"You and Taker are going to tear it up at Mania," he finished, coming to stand beside him.

"Thanks Shano," Paul smiled at him then took a long pull from his water bottle. As much as he enjoyed talking to Shane, he really wanted to just get a shower and find Stephanie. He'd decided that enough was enough and was going to tell her how he felt.

"You alright?

Shane's concerned tone broke his reverie and he faked a smile. "You get chucked around the ring by Kane for fifteen minutes and see how you feel boy wonder," he joked and slapped him lightly on the shoulder. It seemed to work as Shane laughed heartily.

"No thanks! I'll leave the wrestling to you man, catch you later," he called over his shoulder as he began to walk away.

"Hey Shane!"

He turned around and noticed the slightly nervous look on Paul's face as he asked his question.

"Do you know where Steph is? She wasn't at ringside tonight and I really need to talk to her." Paul shuffled his feet nervously as he waited.

"Yeah, she was at the gorilla and then left once your match was over actually," Shane replied.

"Thanks Shane. I'll see you later." He sighed once Shane was out of earshot. He knew why Stephanie left. She didn't want to run into him after the match. He walked inside the locker room and slumped against the door, closing it in the process. He closed his eyes as he ran a hand over his weary face.

"Paul?"

His eyes snapped open at the sound of her voice. He saw her standing just by the couch, nervously wringing her hands together. She had an unreadable expression on her face and it made his stomach flip over.

"Stephanie. What are you doing here?" He walked closer to her until they were standing a few feet apart. "I've missed you," he hushed, reaching out to touch her shoulder. He caressed it gently and watched as she sucked in a breath and closed her eyes.

"Paul," she breathed as she slowly brushed his arm away.

"Don't do that," he said softly.

"What?"

"Don't pull away."

A weird silence fell over them as they stood locked in an intense stare. Finally he moved to take another step towards her and frowned when she stepped back. She saw his confused look and suddenly felt terrible for coming here. She didn't know why she even did in the first place.

"Steph?" he asked, not really sure what she wanted from him.

"Look Paul, I'm sorry.....I don't even know why I came here.....I...." she rambled, her confused thoughts spilling out into her speech. She made a move towards the door and opened it, anxious to just get the hell out of there. But her body stiffened and her eyes closed over when she felt his large frame quickly move behind her. His big hand was placed flat against the door which he pushed closed. It moved from the door and came to rest on her arm and he gently tugged her round to face him. Being this close to him was playing havoc with her senses. She could smell his faint cologne lingering around his body. Even after a wrestling match he still managed to smell great and she could never for the life of her figure out how he managed to do that. His eyes were boring into her and she wanted nothing more than to fall into his arms. But she couldn't. No matter how badly she wanted to she simply couldn't.

"I know why you came here," he said softly, taking a step back and giving them both some space. "You came here because you know as well as I do, that this being apart thing we got going on, it just isn't going to work."

She was slightly shocked by his words but at the same time, her heart beat madly in her chest. He just admitted he wanted to be with her. "Paul....."

"No. Just let me finish OK?" He continued at her nod of the head and gently took her hand. "Steph I....."

The shrill ring of Stephanie's cell phone cut him off. They both looked at each other, neither making a move until the screeching sound became unbearable and she lifted the phone from the snap on her hip. Glancing at the caller ID, a panicked expression crossed her face when she saw who it was. Oscar.

"Shit," she cursed under her breath, causing Paul to raise an eyebrow in curiosity. Just as she went to answer, the phone stopped ringing. But just as quickly it started up again and she looked at him apologetically. "Sorry but I have to take this."

Paul tried to control the anger that quickly started to build within him from this situation. He was about to bare his soul to her, didn't she see that? "It can wait," he stated firmly but it was too late, she already had the phone to her ear.

"Hi! Yes and I'm sorry. I was with a friend....."

"A friend? Is that all I am to you now?" he looked at her incredulously. How could she just stand there and have a damn phone conversation as if nothing was happening between them?

Stephanie pulled the phone from her ear and sighed. What the hell did she do to deserve being caught in the middle of a situation like this? "Paul, of course you're more than that and you know it. Gimme a break! What the hell do you want me to say?"

"Give you a break? Give YOU a break?"

"Stephanie? Are you there?" The muted voice from the cell phone dangling in her hand interrupted their heated conversation and Stephanie quickly put the phone back to her ear.

"Yes I'm here. Just give me one second alright?" she answered quickly. She turned her attention back to Paul and matched his angry expression. It wasn't her fault that she got a phone call now.

"This is ridiculous! You know what, have your damn call!" Paul fumed at her, trying his best to ignore the sound of the very male voice on the other end of her call. Despite the fact that this was his locker room, he grabbed his bag from the couch and without a second glance in her direction, he stormed out of the room.

Stephanie flinched as the door slammed shut. What the hell was he so pissed off about? It wasn't like they were in the middle of something important. No it was more like something awkward and stupid. She lifted the phone back to her ear. "Sorry about that Oscar. Yes, I'll be ready then. See you in ten, bye." She hung up the phone and slowly made her way out of the room and headed in the direction of the parking lot where she would meet Oscar and then head out for their date.

* * *

Stephanie dejectedly arrived at the parking lot a few minutes later still trying to figure out what the hell had just happened. Why was he acting like that and what did she do to make him just storm out on her?

"Stephanie?" came a slightly nervous male voice to her right.

She lifted her head to find a tallish man with short brown hair and soft blue eyes smiling back at her. He offered her his hand as she approached and she took it, smiling back at him. "You must be Oscar."

"That would be me yes," he joked, gently shaking her hand before letting go. "Marissa's told me a lot about you although she failed to mention how beautiful you are."

Stephanie bowed her head to hide the faint red glow staining her cheeks. "Thank you," she said quietly. They stood awkwardly for a few seconds before Oscar motioned to his car.

"So...you want to go grab a bite to eat?

She nodded her head and smiled gratefully. "Yes I'm starving!"

"Great, let's go," he said and placed his hand on the small of her back, leading her the short distance to his car. He stepped in towards her, closing the distance between their bodies as he reached for the door. He flashed her a grin as he opened it and she hopped in, thinking that this wasn't going to be so bad after all. If Paul wanted to act like a jackass then let him. She was going on a date with what seemed to be a nice guy and she wasn't going to let him ruin it. Even if her heart wasn't fully in it, she truly believed Marissa when she said the best way to get over Paul would be to try and date again. But as she settled into her seat, she felt her heart catch in her throat as a pair of piercing hazel eyes bored a hole through her from the opposite side of the car window. Paul. He looked like she had just spit in his face. The gym bag that was hanging over his shoulder fell to the ground as he stood there, his face displaying a hundred different emotions all at once. And suddenly it hit her. Back in the locker room, he was going to tell her something. He was going to tell her he wanted to get back together. And now he'd caught her sitting in another man's car ready to go on a date with him. As Oscar started the engine and put the car into gear, she fought to hold in her tears. The car slowly rolled past him and she couldn't bring herself to look. Instead, she looked straight ahead and sucked in a sharp breath as the car passed him by. Once they were out of the garage and safely round the corner, she let go of the breath currently stuck at the back of her throat and possibly with it, her chance to get him back.


	7. Chapter 7

**A/N** - Sorry about taking so long to post a new chapter of this one. _Beautiful Stranger_ has been taking up all my time lately and then _Voices_ came along lol. But I hope you like this one. And btw, the banner has finally been added to my profile. You should check it out as it's pretty darn awesome if I do say so myself! Cred to the awesome Illise over at MLF. This one's for you **smokin'upoutside**. I'll be expecting that sequel now......!

* * *

Paul's head spun as he got up from the bar stool. The room was moving in all directions as he tried to steady himself, reaching a hand out to the counter to keep his balance. He couldn't believe what he'd seen earlier tonight. How could she do that to him? He was just about to take the leap and ask her to get back together but she'd went ahead and rubbed that right in his face. A heavy sigh escaped him as he wobbled to the door. This was why he never drank. He never understood the point in drinking yourself into a stupor. But tonight he understood it fully. His heart had been torn into a million tiny pieces and he just wanted to feel numb. He reached the door and flicked his jacket collar around his neck as the cold wind hit his face. He gingerly took a few steps forward before he felt something grab his arm.

"What the hell," he mumbled as he spun around and immediately clutched his head as it spun too. But he let go as he came face to face with a stunning blonde. Despite the cold weather, she wore next to nothing and had a seductive smile on her face. She began to run her hand up and down his arm as she stared into his eyes.

"Aren't you that wrestler? Triple H right?" she asked, her voice silky smooth.

Paul nodded his head as he finally got his balance. He looked at her hand on his arm and then moved his gaze back to her face. Her dyed blonde hair hung around her face and her blue eyes sparkled at him. She looked like a life size Barbie he thought to himself as he tried his best not to look down because he knew if he did he would be engulfed by a pair of huge breasts. "Yeah, that's me," he answered simply, moving his arm away from her.

The woman's eyes seemed to light up at his answer. She was obviously pretty hyped up about the fact that she was standing there with a wrestler. Undeterred by the fact that he brushed off her arm, she reached up and started to play with the lapel of his jacket, sidling her body closer as she did so. "That's pretty cool." She licked her lips and let her eyes run up and down his body. "My apartment's just down the block if you want to come down and tell me more about it?" she propositioned.

Paul laughed as he shook his head. He couldn't believe the audacity of some women, although she certainly wasn't the worse. Back in the day women tried to pick him up left, right and centre. "Listen ah....."

"Candy," she said at his prompt. Her smile got even bigger, fully expecting him to take her up on her offer.

"Candy....right," he tried not to roll his eyes at the name. "I'm sure you're a great girl but..." He was about to say he was taken when he remembered that he actually wasn't. She stared at him in confusion while he just stood there with a thoughtful look on his face.

"What is it?" she encouraged as she pushed up against him.

Paul closed his eyes at the headache he could feel coming his way. He wasn't 'with' Stephanie. She had made that quite clear earlier tonight. He could go off with this chick, spend the night having mindless sex and it would be fine. Or would it? Obviously not if he was standing here debating with himself. The truth of the matter was, he just didn't have it in him tonight. Or any other night for that matter. He couldn't let himself sleep with the first chick he saw because he was hurting, he was better than that. And his heart still belonged to Stephanie. He looked into her expectant eyes and offered a small smile.

"I'm sorry but, not tonight," he said solemnly.

"What?" Candy gave him a combination of an angry and confused look with her hand coming to rest on her hip. What the hell was his problem? She was offering herself to him and he was refusing her?

"Not tonight alright."

"Whatever," she mumbled as she turned and stalked down the street. "Asshole."

Her insult carried through the wind and he managed a small smile. She didn't take rejection too well that was for sure. He decided to just clear his mind and enjoy the walk home, hoping that it would help sober him up. Ridding his head of all things Stephanie, he pulled his jacket a little tighter around his body and started the long walk home.

* * *

"So I had a great time tonight...." Oscar trailed off as he walked Stephanie to her door. She was staying at a hotel for some reason, even though they were in her home town. He didn't know much about the wrestling business. But he did know that they travelled a lot and he would think that finally getting to your home state would equal staying in your own home. But that wasn't the case with Stephanie. She was a very unique woman, something he'd found out throughout the course of the evening.

"Yeah, me too," Stephanie smiled as they came to a stop outside the room. She turned to him and saw the twinkle in his eyes. She really hoped that she was outwardly displaying the same sort of reaction to their date because inside, she still felt like crap. Not because of the date. Not at all. Everything went really well for a first date and any other time she would have been over the moon. But she couldn't get Paul's face out of her mind ever since they drove past him in the garage earlier tonight. He looked so.....haunted. And she absolutely could not get the thought that she may have lost him forever out of her head. But wasn't that what she was aiming for in the first place? Otherwise why the hell did she come on this date? She quickly snapped out of her reverie when she saw his expectant face before her. His eyes were still sparkling at her and she put on her best smile, trying to convince herself as well as him that she had a splendid time tonight.

"Can we do this again sometime?" He asked as he took a step closer.

Stephanie took a step back until she was against the door and her breath hitched when she felt him move closer to her. He'd been the perfect gentleman all night and she most definitely was not expecting this out of him. "I.....I....sure," she stuttered, although it wasn't necessarily in a good way. He smiled at her stutters, fully in the belief that it was him that caused it and Stephanie couldn't help but inwardly groan. In a matter of seconds, he had managed to turn her stomach.

"I thought you might say that," he whispered, leaning his head closer to hers.

She knew he was going to kiss her and she braced herself. She didn't know what the hell had gotten into him but all of a sudden he'd turned into a sex crazed maniac! But as his lips softly brushed against hers for a short and sweet little kiss, she caught herself on. He wasn't a sex crazed maniac. In fact, he hadn't changed at all. In his mind, he'd just been on a really great date and he was doing what one would naturally do after walking a lady home. Spend a second or two flirting outside her door before offering a chaste kiss and being on his way. Oscar wasn't at fault here. No, it was her messed up mind.

"I'll call you," he smiled as he sweetly rubbed her cheek before turning and heading back down the corridor.

Stephanie stood there shell shocked. She didn't know what to think anymore. Her mind was so consumed with thoughts of Paul that she had just painted a perfectly fine man as a freaking sex pest. Christ she had to stop doing this to herself. She pushed the door to the hotel room open and immediately sought out the bed. She flung her clothes off on the way and sighed when she eventually plopped down on the softness. It wasn't home but it would do.

"Home," she huffed to herself as she thought about it. Home to her was Paul's arms but that was never going to happen again anytime soon. With a fitful sigh, she pulled the covers tight around her body and blocked everything out, hoping to God that this situation would sort itself out. She didn't know what the hell was going to happen with Paul. What she did know was that he looked absolutely heartbroken and she prayed that he would speak to her the next time she saw him. Then there was Oscar. He was completely innocent in all of this but so help her she needed some sort of distraction. Did that make her a bad person? At this point in time she didn't really care. All she wanted to do was get some sleep and rid her mind of the image of the broken hearted face of the man she loved.


	8. Chapter 8

**A/N** - Thanks to **smokin'upoutside** (This one's for you too btw!), **axxechikka** and **Destiny** for reviewing the last chapter. If all else fails I guess I can always rely on my faithful readers to drop me a comment lol. Thanks for taking the time to let me know what you think. I appreciate it.

* * *

The crowd roared with approval as Triple H and The Undertaker continued their verbal sparring. Stephanie could feel the heat of the lights in the arena bearing down on her. This was without a doubt the most awkward ring experience of her life, even worse than the first time she ever appeared on camera. She and Paul hadn't spoken ever since he saw her leave the parking garage with Oscar a few days ago and it was absolutely killing her. Especially having to be on TV and act like his doting wife. She breathed a heavy sigh of relief as she heard "The Game," blast through her ears. She hadn't been listening to the end of that promo at all. Obviously Triple H had got in the last word as it was his music that was playing them out. She turned to Paul to find him staring at her as if he'd just asked her a question.

"What?" she asked, shaking the thoughts from her head.

"Let's go," he said simply and pulled up the ropes for her, immediately breaking eye contact with her.

Stephanie sighed as she stepped through the ropes and hopped to the ground. She felt his hand close around hers as they headed up the ramp slowly, soaking in the loud boos from the fans along the entrance way. "I'm sorry Paul," she blurted out. His head snapped around and looked at her in shock.

Paul couldn't believe what he'd just heard. She chose now of all times to speak to him. They were on live TV for Christ sakes!! He just glared at her and kept walking, trying his best to keep in character. But as soon as they walked behind the curtain he let his anger out. "I can't believe you! What the hell was that, Steph?" he almost yelled at her as he stalked throughout the gorilla position.

Stephanie followed hot on his heels. She didn't care about the fact that people were staring or that they were making a scene. She just wanted to talk to him. Yeah, live TV probably wasn't the best place to do it but she was never one for following convention. "Will you just listen to me?" she called after him.

"Trouble in paradise?"

Paul immediately stopped walking and turned around to find Andrew 'Test' Martin standing there smirking. Stephanie practically bundled into him as he had stopped so suddenly. She straightened herself up and it was just in time to see Paul sneer at Martin. She could see him almost seething and immediately got a bad feeling in the pit of her stomach.

"Shut the fuck up," Paul scoffed angrily, getting in the other man's face.

"Paul!" cried Stephanie as the tall blonde didn't back down but rather took a step forward making the situation worse.

"Why don't you make me," Andrew said as he puffed out his chest, fully expecting this thing to get physical.

Stephanie nervously chewed on her lip but before anything could happen she heard a familiar voice from behind.

"What the hell is going on here!?" boomed Vince as he joined the trio. He could feel the tension radiating off of Paul and if he was being honest, he was very surprised. Paul was the consummate professional and had never got into altercations with his colleagues before. Then again, he had been acting very strange lately.

"I don't know Vince. Why don't you ask 'The Game' here why he's got his panties all in a bunch," said Andrew, somewhat cockily as he took a step back at Vince's request.

Vince turned to look at Paul but he didn't get an answer. Instead, he turned to Martin, told him to keep his "damn mouth shut" and then stalked off down the hall without a second glance to anybody. He turned to look at his daughter but she was already making her way down the hallway after Paul. He ignored Test and took off after his daughter, finally coming to stop at the slightly open locker room door where he stood and listened to the argument taking place inside.

"I can't believe you, Steph. You sure as hell know when to pick your spot!" Paul scoffed as he paced in front of her.

"Will you just calm down and hear me out? Please!" she begged.

"Why the hell should I? Last time we were in a locker room together you had no interest in hearing what I had to say. Why should this be any different for you?"

"I just want to talk about what happened the other night," she pleaded even further. She was desperate to talk to him about this. She couldn't take him being mad at her for very much longer although how could she blame him.

"Well you know what, I don't. So you can leave." He turned his back to her and busied himself with sorting through his bag, not really looking for anything in particular but desperately needing the distraction.

She couldn't believe he was being like this. He just looked so damn sad and it tore her up inside. "So that's it? You're not even going to give me a chance to explain?"

"There's nothing to explain...." He stopped mid sentence and let out a sarcastic laugh before finally turning around and facing her. He looked into her eyes and for the first time tonight she could see the hurt behind them. "You obviously have no idea how much seeing you drive away with another guy hurt me. And you wanna know what the worst part is? It's the fact that you saw me. You saw me standing there. Yet when that car drove by you didn't even acknowledge me. What the fuck is that, Steph? You made your choice, you decided to go off with that jackass but does that mean you had to treat me like a piece of crap?" His voice broke slightly as he finished and he turned his gaze to the floor, unable to look at her anymore.

Stephanie stood there dumbfounded. She didn't know what to say. God, she'd been such a fool. Why the hell did she even listen to Marissa in the first place? Why when her heart and soul was standing in front of her looking like he'd just been hit by a bus.

Meanwhile, outside the room, Vince stood there almost as dumbfounded as his daughter. That had been painful to listen to. He knew that both of them had taken the break up pretty bad but he never thought it would create this type of tension between them. Paul was acting completely unlike himself while Stephanie usually moped around the place every day. Maybe asking them to part ways hadn't been the best idea. But then again, it would save them both and the company a hell of a lot of bother in the long run. Vince shook his head as he tried to convince himself of the latter. He didn't like to admit when he was wrong and more and more he was starting to think he had been wrong about this. He walked back down the hall with a pensive look on his face leaving the unknowing pair alone.

"Paul I'm so sorry..." she began but stopped talking when she saw him packing up his bag. He slung the strap over his shoulder and made a move for the door. She quickly stepped in front of it, reaching up to touch his chest. "Where are you going?"

"Home," he said slowly, his head moving down to look at her outstretched hand. It burned his chest as it lay flat against it. He had to get the hell out of here before he lost himself and gave in. He wasn't ready to forgive her just yet and if he stayed here then he feared that he might do just that.

"Paul..."

"Steph please, don't do this." His eyes pleaded with her to let him leave. So she did. She choked back the tears that were threatening to fall as he promptly left the room leaving her all alone. And that's exactly what she was. Alone. Yeah there was Oscar but what was the point in continuing with him if the only thing she could think about was Paul. It all became too much and she moved to the couch before falling into the soft leather. She wiped at the tears as they spilled down her cheeks praying to God that he would forgive her. Even if he didn't want her as a lover, she still had to clear the air. She couldn't afford to lose him.

"I already have," she whispered to herself before the silence of the empty room engulfed her once more.


	9. Chapter 9

**A/N** - Sorry about being so evil with this one but hopefully good things are on the horizon for our golden couple. Thanks to **heather, Grits0205, Destiny, axxechikka, PaulluvsSteph, StephMcMahon21, dx-nodoubt-dx** and of course **Miss. Smokey** lol. Btw, I hope that you guys are paying attention to the time frame in this fic as it is quite important to what's going to happen in later chapters. Just thought I'd throw that one out there for you as a small teaser of sorts ;-) Enjoy.....

* * *

"Steph you're definitely coming to the business dinner at the weekend right?"

Stephanie broke her reverie and turned to face her brother. She absently nodded her head yes before going back to her thoughts. Shane watched her with a concerned expression on his face. His sister had not been herself the past few days, even going so far as to write herself off TV claiming that she was not "feeling too great." But he had a sneaking suspicion that she wasn't "feeling too great" due to a certain somebody that stood around 6"4 and weighed in around 260 pounds. He rubbed a hand across his weary face. This function for their key clients was stressing the hell out of him considering it was up to him to get the whole thing sorted. It was basically just an excuse for the WWE to say thank you and invite all their partners out for a night of alcohol and ass kissing. He still loved them though, even if they were hell to organise. But he usually had Stephanie to help him out. This time around she wasn't interested in the slightest. All she ever did was mope around and it mirrored the actions of a certain WWE superstar too. Something needed to be done here or they were both going to end up making the biggest mistake of their lives. It was obvious to him that they loved each other. He'd had his doubts but this was nothing but genuine. They were both hurting and hurting bad.

"Steph? You are coming aren't you?" he asked once again.

"Yes, Shane. I'm coming," she answered with an exasperated sigh.

"Are you bringing anybody with you? You know, like a date or something?" He probed as an uncomfortable silence filled the room.

Stephanie finally turned around and looked at him. She rubbed at her eye as she thought about the person she would love to be going with her but that just wasn't going to happen. Not after what she'd did to him. "I don't know," she said softly before turning her gaze back to the floor.

"Steph...."he began but they were interrupted by a light knocking on the door. It opened and in walked Marissa. Shane smiled at his wife as she came to stand by his side. "Hi," he said to her as he kissed her cheek.

"Hi," she replied. "Hey Steph." She turned her attention to the woman sitting on the couch and sighed.

"Hey Rissa," Stephanie said and managed a smile. She lifted her head to find both of them standing there looking at her with sympathetic expressions on their faces and cringed. She couldn't stand it that everybody seemed to look at her like that these days. She got to her feet and grabbed her bag and papers. "Listen guys, I'm going to head to my office. I've got some things to take care of before the show."

Marissa turned to her husband as the door closed before them. "I sure know how to clear a room."

Shane snickered as he motioned for her to sit on the couch. "I'm still here. And that wasn't about you. I think I may have hit a nerve just before you came in." At Marissa's nod he continued. "Well I asked her if she was bringing a date to the dinner this weekend and it didn't go down too well."

"It didn't? I thought she was bringing Oscar. He said their date the other night went really well," she thought out loud.

Shane stared at her in confusion. "Wait a minute! Who the hell is Oscar?"

"I set her up with Oscar from the office and they went on a date," she replied. "Didn't I tell you about that?"

"No! Why would you set her up with somebody when you know she's not over Paul yet?" he asked as he shifted in his seat so he could see her better.

"That's the exact reason why, Shane. She was never going to get over him if she kept going the way she was going. Oscar really likes her. He told me they had a really great time and they are going to go out again. They've kept in touch."

Shane sighed and slumped back into the couch in defeat. His dad had mentioned something about Paul and Steph having a big bust up over something but wouldn't go into any more detail than that. He had a feeling that this is what it was all over. "This whole thing is so messed up. First of all they are oblivious to each other until everybody else calls them on it, then they get together and everything's going great, then Dad tells them to call it off and now they're moping around everywhere they go and if I'm right, they aren't even speaking to each other. Jesus!" He threw his hands up in frustration. "And what the hell with this Oscar guy huh? I can't believe you would set her up with somebody like that."

Marissa stared at him slightly annoyed at his reaction to Stephanie seeing somebody else. "What is your problem with the possibility of Steph seeing somebody other than Paul? It's as if you want them to be together, Shane. What about what you told me when they first got together? That they were making a huge mistake and the fallout was going to be horrific for both of them, especially Paul? What happened to that line of thinking? I thought you would be happy."

Shane sat there for a second and soaked in her words. Yes, at the beginning he had thought it was a terrible idea. Stephanie, nor him for that matter, was allowed to date the wrestlers, it was just......taboo. But then he saw how happy his sister had been, how she had a certain glow about her and he couldn't help but change his mind. At the end of the day it didn't matter who she was with as long as she was happy and Paul made her just that. Not to mention the fact that he knew Paul was a good guy and they were friends. Maybe he'd come to accept the idea of Stephanie being with Paul so much that anything else just wasn't good enough? "I don't know babe. I don't know what I'm thinking. But what I do know is that both of them are going through hell right now and it's starting to annoy me."

Marissa laughed slightly as she rubbed his arm. "It's starting to annoy you?"

He looked at her and matched her smile with one of his own. "Yes. For lack of a better word, it's starting to annoy me."

"There's nothing we can do Shane. It's up to them to find each other if they really want to be together," she said simply.

Shane nodded sadly. "I wish it was that simple. You know how stubborn Steph can be and Paul is just as bad."

"Love never is simple, Shane. Stephanie told me that when they first stopped seeing each other, Paul told her that if they were meant to be then it would happen for them and I believe him. If they are meant to be then they'll find each other. Meddling parents, family members and Oscar be damned!"

"When did you get so wise?" he laughed.

"What! I've always been wise. Although you could never tell being that I'm married to you and all," she joked and laughed as he turned his back to her. She hugged him and kissed his cheek. "I'm sorry, I was joking."

"You better be!" he huffed in response.

Stephanie decided not to head back to her office but instead to leave the arena for a while to clear her head. Raw didn't start for a good few hours anyway. She nodded at several people on her way to the parking garage and when she got there she was surprised to see none other than Oscar stepping out of his car. She immediately froze not expecting to see him there at all. Suddenly he turned in her direction and beamed at her. She couldn't help but smile back and gave him a little wave as he approached her.

"Just the girl I was looking for," he said as he came to a stop just in front of her and bent down to kiss her cheek.

Stephanie became flustered but mostly due to the fact that this was a surprise to see him standing there. "What are you doing here?" she blurted out before correcting herself. "I'm sorry. I mean.......well....what _are_ you doing here?" she laughed.

He laughed along with her. "Well I was here on business and a little bird told me that this is where you would be today so I took a chance and it looks like it paid off. Where are you headed? You want to go for lunch or something?" He asked hopefully. While they had spoken on the phone a few times he was eager for more personal contact. He really liked Stephanie. She was beautiful, smart and witty. He'd absolutely loved their date and how she handled herself and he was determined to make the effort because in his eyes she was more than worth it.

Stephanie thought about it and decided what the hell. There were worse ways to relax than going out to lunch with Oscar. "That's exactly where I was headed actually and you're more than welcome to come along. Come on."

The duo turned and walked in the direction of Oscar's car. Unbeknownst to either of them however was the car that pulled in just as they reached the door of Oscar's silver BMW. Paul almost crashed his rental as he saw Stephanie standing there with the same guy she had been with the other night. He quickly did a double take as he parked the car and watched as she laughed at something he said. She hopped inside and a few seconds later they were gone. He sat there in silence, not quite believing what he just saw. A few days ago she was begging him to talk to her. Now she was riding off with some guy and it wasn't the first time. She was seeing him and was obviously over him. He closed his eyes as an overwhelming pain gripped his chest. This was really it. She was moving on. They weren't going to try and sort things out between them. His eyes slowly opened and he quickly wiped at the moisture beginning to form behind them.

"I guess we're not meant to be after all, Steph." His words carried into the wind as he got out of the car and made his way inside the arena.


	10. Chapter 10

**A/N** - Thanks to **dx-nodoubt-dx, missbean1997, axxechikka, StephMcMahon21 **and **PaoHalliwell** for reviewing the last chapter. I've decided to repay you all for sticking through the angst in this one lol. I won't spoil it for you but don't automatically assume that there's smooth sailing ahead!! Please R&R, thanks.

* * *

The large reception room was filled with partially drunk and happy people as the WWF's first ever shareholders and business partners party was in full force. The room was scattered with only the top level talent, the McMahon's and everybody else that merited an invitation. Paul downed another drink, the sight of all the people having such a good time in front of him making him feel sick. He knew he shouldn't have come here. He'd much rather be wallowing in his own self pity at home right about now. But no, ever the company man he simply couldn't refuse when he'd bumped into Vince the other day. Wincing as the alcohol burned his throat, he quickly made his way to the bar for another round. He'd sure as hell need it to get through this night in one piece. He squeezed his way through the throng of people hovering around and finally ordered a drink. The bar man quickly returned and as he raised the bottle to his lips he swore he felt his heart jump out of his throat at the sight before him. There she was. She looked absolutely stunning in a deep blue satin dress that hugged her every curve. Her soft brown hair fell in loose waves around her face which blew him away with its beauty. Every time he saw her it just got harder and harder. And how could it not when she came dressed like that. He desperately pried his eyes away from her and ordered a stiff shot of bourbon as well as another bottle of beer. He'd definitely be needing something to get him through this night indeed.

Stephanie smiled at the various investors and WWE higher-ups as she headed toward her family's table at the top of the room. She snuck a quick peek at her watch. It was almost 9. Her dad was bound to throw a fit, she was over an hour late. Sure enough as soon as he spotted her he immediately went into a tirade.

"What time do you call this Stephanie? We are supposed to be making a good impression tonight AND you've left that man you're with here on his own all this time. Your mother and I have been running out of things to keep him occupied," he quietly scolded her.

She rolled her eyes and smiled at Oscar as she arrived at the table. "Dad will you calm down? I'm here now OK?"

Vince narrowed his eyes at her. "Well wipe that moping look off your face and at least look like you want to be here." He stormed away from her but she didn't even look after him. Instead she sat down at the table and rhymed off the apology she'd prepared as she was fixing her hair earlier that night.

"Oscar I'm so sorry. I was caught up in paperwork and before I knew it, 6 o'clock had come and gone. I'm really, really sorry for leaving you here with my psycho dad. Just ignore him." She threw a dirty look over her shoulder and was pleased to find him smiling back at her when she turned to face him again.

"That's fine, Stephanie. You're a busy woman. And you've more than made up for it by the way, you look absolutely stunning." His eyes ran over her appreciatively. In his mind, tonight was the night.

She blushed and glanced down at the table in embarrassment. "Thank you," she smiled, taking note of the dreamy look in his eyes. He was most definitely smitten with her. Unfortunately for him, she just couldn't see herself feeling the same way. Not when her mind was constantly plagued by thoughts of another.

"So, can I get you a drink?"

Her eyes lit up at the thought of getting some much needed alcohol into her system. "YES! A white wine would be perfect, Oscar. Thank you!" She watched as he made his way to the bar before her eyes turned to scan the room. Her parents were off charming some big shot shareholder but she hadn't seen one pick of Shane since she'd arrived. She craned her neck, trying to see past the sea of people when her eyes finally landed on the one person she didn't want to see tonight. Paul. He was sitting at a table beside some woman but he clearly wasn't interested in what she was saying to him. Her heart ached as he took a long pull of his drink. They hadn't spoken to each other since their huge blow-up after Smackdown last week. She had even written herself off TV so she didn't have to deal with him. Yeah, it was the cowards way out but she honestly felt like crying every time she looked at him and there was simply no way she could go out in front of all those people and act like everything was fine between them when it wasn't. "God, I'm going to regret this," she muttered under her breath as she got to her feet and walked to his table. The woman eyed her as she approached but she ignored her and sat next to him. His shocked expression quickly turned to one of anger.

"I hope I'm not interrupting," she began but didn't get any further than that.

"Well you are. Lisa and I were.........."

"Actually it's Laura," chimed in the woman, clearly not amused by the fact that he couldn't even remember her name.

Stephanie glanced between the two of them and shook her head. "Look, I really don't care who you are. Paul, I need to talk to you."

Paul tried to hide the smirk from forming on his face as Laura angrily stormed away from the table in a huff. Stephanie wasn't really tactful when she didn't need to be.

"Paul......"

"Listen, Steph, I don't know why you keep trying to talk to me. You've obviously moved on. Just go and be happy with him," he said sullenly.

Her face scrunched up in confusion. "What are you talking about?"

"I saw you with that guy last week, Steph. Don't treat me like an idiot," he snapped, his head whipping around to finally face her. But when it did he became speechless. She was beautiful. The deep blue of her dress and make-up only further emphasised her wonderful blue eyes. Suddenly all the anger and bitterness left him and he remembered that he was still madly and deeply in love with her. As he gazed into her eyes it all became too much for him and he awkwardly got to his feet. He had to get out of there. "I have to go."

"What? Paul, where are you going?" She took his arm, her eyes pleading with him to stay so they could straighten this out. He had seen her with Oscar and had obviously assumed the worst. But that wasn't the truth. She needed to make him see that.

"I can't keep doing this with you Stephanie. I don't know what the hell to feel anymore. One minute I can't stand you and the next minute I fall in love with you all over again," he confessed quietly. His gaze was locked to the ground. He'd never told her that before. He'd admitted it to himself a long time ago but this was the first time he'd ever said it to her. That was another special moment completely ruined for them.

Stephanie stared at him not quite believing what he had just said. He loved her! God, this was all she'd ever wanted, to have him love her so she could love him right back. But why did things have to be so damn complicated?

"Here's your drink."

The voice behind her caused her to turn straight into the outstretched arm of Oscar, almost knocking the wine glass out of his hand. "Oscar! Tha.......thank you!" she managed to get out, hesitantly taking the glass from him.

Paul snorted at the sight of the other man sidling up to her. Quite frankly the thought of her being with somebody else turned his stomach. He watched as she glanced desperately between the two of them. She was having trouble deciding what to do. Well he would make it easier for her. "Good night, Steph." He turned and made a bee line for the door. He walked as fast as he could towards the elevators, just praying to God that one would hurry the hell up and get him the hell out of there.

"Who was that?" Oscar asked curiously as he stared after the retreating Paul. As he'd approached the pair he could practically feel the tension radiating from them and he wasn't quite sure he liked it.

"I................Oscar................I'm so sorry but I have to go," she turned and thrust the glass into his hand. There was simply no way she was letting Paul get away from her this time, not after what he had just told her. Oscar's confused and somewhat angry expression wasn't enough to deter her as she took off in the direction of the exit. She burst through the double doors and saw Paul stepping into the elevator. She ran with everything in her and just about made it in time, sticking her hand into the narrow slit between the closing doors. To her delight, they opened back up again and she stepped inside, ignoring his pissed off expression.

"Steph, what the hell are you doing?"

She stood there clutching her chest, desperately heaving in big breaths of air to fill her empty lungs. Her heart was hammering a mile a minute and she struggled to catch a breath. The elevator began to move, jostling them slightly as it made its ascent to his floor. She finally looked up at him and took him in. He stood there, looking as handsome as ever in his tux. His hair was pulled back and his beard was slightly thicker than usual. God, she loved this man. In that moment she couldn't find one single reason why they shouldn't be together. They loved each other, that was all that mattered and she simply had to make him see that.

"Well?"

"That man down there............we're not together Paul, we never were I promise," she breathed just as the elevator came to a stop.

"I saw you together and more than once. Stop treating me like I'm a fool!" he yelled, walking angrily down the hallway trying to find his room.

"But..........."

"I don't want to hear it anymore," he interrupted, finally finding the room and pulling out the key card from his back pocket.

"WILL YOU LISTEN TO ME GOD DAMMIT!"

Her outburst caused the whole damn floor to turn and stare at her but she didn't care. "Christ you're stubborn! We were never together Paul. Marissa set us up to try and help me get over YOU. Can't you see, Paul. It's you, it's always been you." Her gaze softened as she reached for him and for the first time in a long time he took her hand.

"You were never together?" He asked quietly. There was a strange aura around them that seemed almost..............fresh, like they were starting over.

She raised her other hand to stroke his cheek and took a step closer. "One date. That's all it took for me to realise that you're the only man for me." Her eyes began to gloss over. "I love you," she whispered softly looking him straight in the eye. She wanted him to see it, to see how much he meant to her. "And I'm so sorry for all the crap I've put you through. I don' know why..................."

Paul swallowed hard as he reached out to wipe away her tears. He'd never been more happy in his life than he was right now after hearing her utter three simple words. "Hey, that doesn't matter anymore. We were both in the wrong. Let's just forget about it, all of it."

Stephanie couldn't stop the smile from spreading across her face. This was her greatest dream come true. And it only got better as he leaned his face towards her. She eagerly tilted her mouth until it finally met his in a kiss that both of them had been wanting forever. They let the familiar taste of the other sink in before need took over, their moths opening to let their tongues swirl together. All too soon they were engrossed in a passionate lip lock, neither of them caring that they were in the middle of the hallway. Stephanie sighed as he kissed her deeply then moaned in protest as he pulled away for air. Their eyes locked together, the sexual tension surrounding them was so noticeable even she could feel it. He quickly took her hand and led her inside the room...........


	11. Chapter 11

**A/N** - Thanks to **dx-nodoubt-dx, StephMcMahon21, Destiny, lilrocky80, heather, axxechikka, laukita, PaoHalliwell** and **amanda** for reviewing the last chapter. As always, I truly truly appreciate you taking the time to let me know what you think. Thank you. Anyways, I've decided to give you some smluff, or flut or whatever the hell it's called! It's basically a cross between smut and fluff incase you couldn't work that one out. It took me a while lol. This little chapter isn't that long but I feel like I owed it to you after all this time! Enjoy.....

* * *

Stephanie awoke the next morning feeling better than she had in months. Her eyes closed over in utter happiness at the feel of the strong arm wrapped around her waist. She covered it with her own and entwined her fingers between his, giving them a gentle squeeze and snuggling back into his warm embrace. She could lay there forever, safe and secure in the knowledge that this is where she was meant to be. A soft groan caused her to turn her head. She met his neck and couldn't help but inhale deeply. His subtle scent filled her nostrils and elicited a gentle sigh. She loved the way he smelled. In fact she loved everything about him. Her hand squeezed his again as she revelled in the moment of just being with him. She'd been wanting a moment like this for so long, a moment where she could just relax in his arms and not worry about the troubles of the day. She wanted to spend every single morning waking up like this. Suddenly, slight movement from behind broke her reverie. A satisfied smile crossed her face at the feel of his lips pressing softly against her neck. He was awake.

"Good morning," he growled softly, lifting his head and squinting at her through his messy blonde strands.

"Good morning to you too," she laughed, reaching out to brush the hair out of his face. His eyes twinkled as his head moved closer and he captured her lips in a gentle kiss. He savoured the feel of her lips pressed firmly against his own and pushed his face closer, kissing her more deeply. Her hands tangled in his hair as she fell back against the pillows pulling him with her. Their mouths opened, tongues duelling with one another before they were forced to pull back for air.

He buried his face in her neck as his left hand ran along her hip. "Mmmmmmm, good morning indeed."

She felt his smile on her skin and lightly slapped his back. "Pervert!"

"You weren't complaining last night," he said continuing to kiss and suck at her neck.

"Who said I'm complaining now?"

His head rose from her neck and he looked her in the eye. She looked at peace and the happiest he'd seen her in a long time. The thought that it was he who made her so happy made him feel giddy inside. His eyes swept over her, taking in her mussed hair and slightly smudged eye make-up and he felt his chest get tight. She was so beautiful. He'd missed waking up with her knowing that he was the only person with the honour of seeing her in her most natural state.

"Hey," she reached up to caress his face. "You look so tense."

"I'm fine," he smiled as he took her hand and kissed it. "I'm just enjoying waking up with you again, that's all."

"Is that all, huh?"

"It is!"

"Well for your information, I was thinking the exact same thing not too long ago." Her hand toyed with his as he hovered above her. "Tell me that we're back together for good, Paul. I don't think I could take it if I lost you again," she sighed, her body tensing at the thought.

Paul saw the frown forming on her face and immediately gripped her hand a little tighter. "I'm not going anywhere, Steph. I'm yours," he whispered lowering his face so that his mouth was just touching hers. "I love you."

"I love you too," she whispered back before he pressed his lips hard against hers. She quickly opened her mouth, needing to taste him and thrust her tongue out to wind with his. His hand gripped her hip tightly as he positioned himself over her. They had made love until the sun had come up but it simply wasn't enough. He could never have enough of her. Their mouths fused together in an ardent kiss that was only broken when he pushed inside of her, eliciting a deep moan from them both. He rested his forehead against hers as he pulled out, just hovering at her entrance before thrusting back in drawing another heavy groan. He repeated the motion as they quickly fell into a rhythm. Her hands clawed at his back while his left hand gripped her hip tight, his right planted firmly next to her head on the pillow. Stephanie lost herself in the feelings he was creating inside of her. No one ever made love to her like Paul. He knew what she wanted before she did. As he continued his sweet torture, she opened her eyes to find him looking at her. She swore she felt her heart clench at the look on his face, a look that told her how much he loved her without him ever having to speak a word. She held his gaze as their hips rocked together, picking up the pace before she simply had to close her eyes and revel in the warmth spreading throughout her body. She began to shudder, his thrusting hard member hitting all the right spots. Pleasure filled sighs escaped her but she was quickly silenced, his mouth tugging at hers as he kissed and sucked on her lips. She grabbed the back of his head, forcing his mouth harder against her as she ground her hips up at him for all she was worth. Noticing the desperation in her movements, Paul began thrusting hard, almost slamming into her as he brought them higher and higher until finally he felt his stomach tighten. Stephanie began to whimper as her body shook, the force of the orgasm taking her by surprise. It was quickly followed by another as he continued his frenzied thrusting before emptying himself inside of her with a loud groan.

"Jesus," he panted, trying to catch his breath but he didn't get a chance to say another word as she captured his lips once more. She kissed him slowly but passionately and rolled them over so that she lay on top of him, her intentions clear as she began to grind her hips against him once again.....


	12. Chapter 12

**A/N -** Here's the next installment. Thanks to **amanda, axxechikka, missbean1997, dx-nodoubt-dx, lilrocky80 **and** heather** for reviewing the last one. A while ago I told you guys to pay attention to the timeline of this story. Well, that's about to become quite significant in the next chapter. Super brownie points for anybody that can guess what's about to happen lol. I'll be realistic with you guys here, I hope to have the next chapter up in early December which when you think about it isn't all that far away!! Anyways, please leave a reivew and tell me what you think!

* * *

**3 Weeks Later**

"Steph! Hurry up!"

"I'm hurrying!"

"What about in here?"

"Dammit, it's locked!"

"I can't wait much longer, Paul!"

"Wait a minute, its open!"

"Thank God!"

The excited duo finally stumbled into the empty locker room and locked the door. Within seconds, Paul had her pressed against the wall as his lips locked with hers. This was the first they had seen each other practically all week and both were going mad with lust. As this was probably going to be their only opportunity to spend some 'quality' time together, they had every intention of spending it the right way. Stephanie sighed as she felt his lips begin a fiery trail down her neck and just let herself get lost in him.............

They were so caught up in their passion that they failed to notice the gray haired man at the other end of the corridor who just happened to round the corner at the exact moment they disappeared through the door. Vince shook his head in confusion and strutted down the hall. He stopped outside the door and listened. When he heard nothing, he gently rapped his knuckles against the wood. No answer. He repeated the motion. Again, no answer. He didn't know what to make of this. There was absolutely no doubt in his mind that Stephanie had perked up considerably over the past few weeks. In fact, she had been on cloud nine ever since the business dinner three weeks ago. Everybody had noticed it. He thought that maybe she had finally gotten over himPaul. But oh he very wrong he was!! With a shake of his head, he casually strolled back to his office and contemplated what to do about the situation.

* * *

"I wish we could just stay locked in this room forever," Stephanie mumbled against his lips as she reluctantly finished doing up the buttons of his shirt. She left the top two open and pressed a soft kiss against the smooth skin of his chest before cuddling her face in his neck. His strong arms wrapped tightly around her, tugging her close as he laid his head against hers.

"Me too. Unfortunately we've got the real world waiting for us on the other side of that door," he replied, dropping a kiss on her hair.

"The real world sucks!" she huffed.

Paul laughed at the little frown that appeared on her face. "Your such a child!" His laugh turned into a surprised yelp of pain when she promptly slapped his arm. "Hey!"

"I am not a child!" she cried in defence, her supposed anger betrayed by the playful smile playing on her lips.

"Whatever you say," he smiled, watching as she fixed herself. The last thing they wanted was to walk out there looking like they had just spent the better part of an hour having sex in the locker room! Hopefully there wouldn't be many people about. They had arrived at the arena pretty early and only management would be around. They hoped. He reached out to pat her tousled hair. "What time have you to meet your dad?"

Stephanie glanced at her watch and sighed. "In ten minutes. I guess I should go now, you know how he gets about tardiness."

"Yes I do. I'm going to head down to the ring anyways, see if I can find Jericho to run over some stuff for tonight. You think he'll be here?"

"I don't know. Only management and people that like to screw around in locker rooms arrive to the arena early," she said slyly.

"Touché!" he replied with a smile, leaning down for a kiss. She happily obliged him and curled her hand around his cheek to pull him closer, deepening their kiss. She could never have enough of him.

"Mmmmmmm, I'll see you later," she moaned as they broke apart. He held her hand until he was forced to let it go.

"Bye," he replied softly, watching her until she disappeared out the door. He released a happy sigh before emptying his gym bag and set about getting ready for the show later on.

* * *

"Hey dad."

Vince looked up from the script he was reading and smiled at his daughter, taking her in. She was positively beaming and ignoring how she most likely got this way, it really did warm his heart to see her so happy. There was no point in trying to ignore it anymore. She was obviously seeing Paul and it was futile to act like there was nothing going on between them. Instead he decided to do things the way he always did them – to confront them head on. "Don't sit down. How about we go for lunch?"

"Lunch?" Stephanie asked in confusion. She looked at her watch to check the time. There was a still load of work to get done before the show. Why the hell did her dad want to go for lunch?

Vince smiled at the confused look on her face. "Yes. Lunch."

"Why?"

"Can't a father ask his daughter to lunch?" he smiled innocently.

Stephanie shrugged her shoulders. "Sure. Let's go!"

* * *

Around thirty minutes later the duo were seated in an upscale restaurant waiting for their food to arrive.

"So dad, is there anything in particular you wanted to talk about?" Stephanie asked suspiciously. Her dad was a workaholic. He NEVER took time out of the day when there was still so much work to be done for the show.

"Why is it so hard to believe that your old man just wanted to take you out for lunch?"

"You know I love you dad but you're not exactly one to drop everything for an unexpected lunch!"

"You know me too well," he smiled, thanking the waitress as she set a plate down in front of each of them.

Stephanie smiled as she took a sip of her water. She knew there was a motive behind this little lunch expedition. But the water in her mouth almost shot out of it in shock at her father's next words.

"So...............how long have you and Paul been _talking_?" he asked, delighting in the shocked expression that crossed his daughters beautiful features. He had her rattled that was for sure.

"Wha.......what?" she sputtered, choking the water down and dabbing at her mouth with her napkin.

"How long have you and Paul been talking? Or is that not the appropriate word for it?" he smiled again.

"I..............what do you............." she stuttered. While she knew her dad had something on his mind she had absolutely no idea it would be this! She thought they had been discreet!

"I'm going to level with you, Steph. I saw you going into the locker room earlier today......"

"Oh God!" she cried in horror.

"But it's not just that," he continued. "We've all seen the difference in you ever since the dinner a few weeks ago. You're like a new person and you're so damn happy all the time and I think I've finally figured out the reason why." He looked at her a few moments before continuing. "He makes you happy?"

Despite her shock, Stephanie couldn't help the smile that crossed her face at the mere mention of Paul. Her dad already knew what was going on and she decided that honesty was always the best policy with him. "He does. He makes me happier than anybody I've ever been with."

"And this is serious between the two of you?" he probed further.

"I love him dad. And he loves me," she answered honestly causing a smile to form on her father's face.

"My little girl is in love!" he gushed. "What more can I say?

"You're not....................mad?"

"How could I be mad, Steph? You're in love with the man. And that means that no matter what I tell you, you're still going to find a way back to him. I know that now and there's no point in me trying to stop you. And besides, Paul is a great guy. He's level headed, he's smart, he loves this business and he loves you. What more could a father want for his daughter?" Vince said truthfully.

"So we have your blessing?" she asked nervously.

"You have my blessing," he smiled in response.

Stephanie let out a relieved sigh and reached out to squeeze her father's hand across the table. "Thank you dad. I can't wait to tell Paul now. He'll be over the moon!"

"Well before you do that, let me enjoy this one final lunch with my daughter before she becomes a taken woman," he laughed, drawing a laugh from her too and they both tucked into their lunch.


	13. Chapter 13

**A/N** - So I'm keeping things fluffy. For now! Enjoy it while it lasts lol. And as always, thank you so much for reviews. They mean the world.

* * *

Paul walked to the buffet table and perused the vast amount of different foods scattered across it. He wasn't feeling that hungry which was surprising considering the fact that not too long ago a certain sultry brunette had given him quite the workout. He smiled as he thought about her and what they had got up to when they arrived at the arena. And now she was off in some meeting with her father. The irony of the situation caused him to laugh. If only Vince knew what his daughter had been up to before she had met with him.

"What are you smiling at?"

Paul turned to find Steve Austin standing next to him with a funny look on his face. He held a plate full of chicken in his hand and was reaching for a bottle of water. Paul was surprised it wasn't beer. "Nothing," he said with a shrug of his shoulders. Steve continued to look at him strangely until thankfully, his cell phone began ringing. He quickly snatched it out of his pocket and bit his lip to stop the smile from crossing his face when he saw who was calling. "Sorry, Steve, I gotta take this." He brought the phone to his ear. "Hey."

Stephanie glanced at her father at the other end of the limo. Satisfied that he was engrossed in his own conversation, she allowed a grin to cross her face. "Hey. Can you talk? I need to tell you something."

"Yeah. Give me second," Paul replied as he nodded at Steve before he left the cafeteria area and headed towards the exit. "How was the meeting?"

"Actually, I didn't go to it. Dad took me out for lunch instead."

"That must have been fun," he chuckled as he spied an exit sign and headed towards it.

"Oh it was. Where are you by the way?" Stephanie asked. He was taking an awfully long time.

Paul pushed the heavy door open and shivered a little as a cool breeze drifted over his bare arms. "I was in the cafeteria getting strange looks from Steve but I'm outside now. What do you need to tell me?"

Her face screwed up in confusion. "Why was Steve giving you strange looks?"

"Because I was standing at the buffet table thinking about you and what we got up to before you left. I think I may have looked a little too happy if you know what I mean," he laughed.

"I see. Well, pretty soon nobody should have any questions about what brings a smile to your face," she teased. She couldn't wait to tell him.

He leaned back against the wall. "And why is that?" He had no idea what she was getting at.

"Well, when we went for lunch, dad dropped a bombshell on me. It seems that he knew that we were still seeing each other and......"

"WHAT!" Paul gripped his hair in panic. If Vince found out about them before they had a chance to tell him they were both screwed.

She laughed at the panic in his voice. "Calm down and let me finish! He told me that he knew and I decided to just be honest with him so I told him that we are in love......"

"Steph!"

"Stop it and let me finish! He's fine with it, Paul. He really is AND he gave us his blessing," she finally finished. A few seconds went by and all she heard was silence. "Paul?"

Paul was shell shocked. Vince was fine with it. He gave them his blessing. They were finally able to be together. "I can't believe it," he whispered, a crooked grin tugging at his lips.

She heard the smile in his voice and an overwhelming tightness gripped her chest. This was it. They finally had their shot to be together. "Me neither. I'm so excited."

"This is great news. We should celebrate," he said. He couldn't remember ever being so happy in his life. Everything was starting to fall into place. He had finally reached the top of the WWE ladder and now he had someone to share it all with, a partner, a best friend and a lover.

"We should. And as a matter of fact, we should arrange it right now," she said as the limo pulled into the arena basement. She spied him standing near the double door exit. Her father was saying his goodbye's on the phone.

"What do you mean?" he asked in confusion. That was until he saw the limo that pulled in and was parking just off to his right. "Wait a second. Please tell me that isn't you guys in that limo? I'm not ready to face you dad yet. Steph!"

She laughed as the limo came to a stop and she stepped outside. "Sorry!" she said with a wave in his direction. He was wearing track pants and his "Game Over" t-shirt. A wild gust of wind blew her hair all over the place. He must have been freezing! She clicked her phone shut and saw her father getting out his side of the limo. This was going to be an interesting situation alright.

"Stephanie, isn't that Paul standing over there?" Vince asked curiously before a knowing expression came across his face. He watched as Paul snapped his cell phone shut and put it back into his pocket. He noticed the sly look on his daughter's face and shook his head. "You couldn't wait ten damn minutes could you?" he joked.

"Nope!" she replied over her shoulder as she walked towards Paul. She reached him and pecked his cheek.

Paul unconsciously stiffened at the contact. Yeah, Vince had given them his blessing. That didn't mean they had to flaunt their relationship in his face. He glanced at Stephanie with a nervous smile in response to her questioning stare. Vince finally came to stand in front of them. Paul's insides were swimming as he desperately tried to project an air of confidence. But his nerves were soon forgotten when a sincere smile crossed the older man's face.

"Paul," Vince began, sticking out his hand, "I want you to know that, after much consideration, you have my support. I knew all along that I was wrong to split you up but, I just didn't want to admit it to myself."

"Really?" Paul's face screwed up in his confusion. Was Vince McMahon actually standing here in front of him admitting that he was wrong?

Vince laughed heartily at the younger man's expression. Paul was a good man. He knew that and obviously his daughter did too. The huge smile she wore on her face right now warmed his heart. At the end of the day, that was really all that mattered. "Yes really. Now hurry up and shake my hand will you!"

"I'd be honoured to," Paul replied honestly. He reached out and shook the older man's hand firmly.

"We'll talk about this later. I'm sure Linda would love to have you over for dinner, Paul. But right now, I've got a show to run. I'll see you in there." Vince offered a small but happy smile to the pair before heading into the building to kick start the preparations for the show. They were already running late as it was.

They both stood in silence for a few seconds until Paul finally spoke up. "So, dinner with the McMahon's huh?"

Stephanie couldn't help the smile on her face or the warm feeling inside her gut. The whole exchange had left her feeling giddy. "Yep. But for tonight, how about dinner with just one McMahon?" She cast a quick glance around the basement and certain that there was nobody else was around, smoothed her palms against his chest.

"What did you have in mind?" he smirked as he placed his hands on her hips, already knowing the answer to his question. He knew what that little glint in her eye meant and he wasn't complaining about it one bit. As far as he was concerned, he could never have enough of her.

"It's just like you said, we should celebrate," she answered, her hands running up and down the hard muscle beneath them.

Paul chuckled. "What type of celebration are we talking about here?"

"The best kind," she whispered mischievously.

"I love the way your mind works. Unfortunately we've got a show to put on first. But afterwards, I'm up for any type of celebration you want. Come on, we better head back you your dad will start to get suspicious." He pecked her lips quickly before pulling the door open for her to walk through.

Stephanie laughed. "I don't think we have to worry about that. He already saw us heading into the locker room earlier today!"

Paul froze. "What?"

"If you could see your face right now! Come on, Game, you've got some ass kicking to do," she joked, sauntering on past him and heading down the corridor leaving him standing there with his jaw on the floor.


	14. Chapter 14

"This storyline is really starting to heat up, don't you think?"

Stephanie looked up from the small television in their locker room and smiled. "I certainly do. But what I'm loving the most is the undercurrent. I think Dad hit gold with you and Steve. I can't wait until it all starts to unravel."

"The demise of the Two Man Power Trip!" Paul's eyes grew wide for a moment as he exaggerated what was inevitably going to happen with his current storyline. Wrestlemania had come and gone. The biggest baby face in professional wrestling was now a heel and had aligned himself with the most hated man in professional wrestling to form the merciless Two Man Power Trip. Steve hadn't been too keen on the idea at first but since they added Taker and Kane to the mix, things really started to get interesting. And now it was all going to fall apart starting with tonight. Triple H would face Kane in a chain match for the IC title while Austin would put his WWF championship on the line against The Undertaker. He was really looking forward to the deterioration of Triple H and Austin and it would give him the chance to play a baby face at the top level, something he had never done before. As his mind worked over time, he lifted the tape from his bag and was just about to start wrapping his wrists when he was stopped.

"Wait!" cried Stephanie as she got to her feet. "We've got to do the walk-in segment later. You can't tape your wrists up yet.

Paul frowned and put the tape back in his bag. "I really do think segments like that are retarded you know."

"Stop huffing!" she laughed, walking over to him and plucking at his pouting lower lip with her finger. "And besides, you shouldn't be so excited about your match later tonight. I could kill my Dad for suggesting it. A chain match!" she scoffed.

"Hey, you can't go blaming your dad for that, Steph. This is just the nature of the business." He took her hand in his and gently ran his thumb over her knuckles.

"It doesn't mean I have to like it though," she sighed. She stared at their joined hands for a few seconds before raising her worried gaze to his face.

Paul saw the concern in her sea blue eyes and a sweeping feeling of guilt ran through him. He didn't want to worry her. Having a chain match wasn't going to help matters. "I'll be fine, Steph."

"I just worry about you, I can't help it. I've seen the aftermath of tough matches you've been in. I hate seeing you like that." This time it was her turn to frown as she thought about the numerous times she had spent scared out of her wits as she watched him take bump after bump and suffer his way through the night when they finally got home. She knew tonight would be no different. "Not to mention that I have to watch from ringside."

Paul sighed. "Is there anything I can do to make you feel better?"

"Just don't get hurt."

"I'll try my best," he replied with a small smile. He pulled her close and pressed a soft kiss to her lips.

"Paul, Glen's looki.........." Vince stopped talking upon entering the room at the sight in front of him. He hid his smile and instead continued talking at the mortified look on both their faces. "Glen's looking for you. I think he wants to run over the match."

"Oh, OK," Paul nodded. He turned back to Stephanie and smiled. "See you later." He gave her hand a gentle squeeze before nodding at Vince and going in search of Kane.

Vince watched him leave before turning his attention to his daughter. He smirked. "So? Things are good?"

"They're great," she smiled in response. "I'm just worried about him and this match later tonight. I hope they don't do anything too crazy."

"Well you know Paul. He'll do anything for this business. That's what makes him so good," he said as he patted her shoulder and motioned for her to sit down. "I actually came here to talk to you about the script and the show. Seeing as Paul's gone you think you could spare me some time?" He asked, a playful glint in his eye.

Stephanie noticed the look on his face and laughed. "Paul or no Paul you still would have come in here looking for me. Don't use him as an excuse. So, what do you want to talk about?"

* * *

"Fuck! Ahhhhhhh!" Paul hissed in pain as a hot burn shot through both of his legs. His head was throbbing not to mention the rest of his body.

Stephanie watched on with a deep concern in her eyes as he hobbled to the bedroom in their suite and practically collapsed onto the bed. She quickly followed after him. "Stupid question but, are you OK?"

"I'll live," he mumbled, his eyes snapping shut as a strong throb rang through his head. He felt like it was clamped in a vice. Damn Glen for tugging him into the ring post like that. He wasn't fucking ready but Glen pulled anyway effectively busting him wide open and giving him this monster headache.

She walked to the bed and lay beside him. His left hand rubbed over his temple to the big white band aid covering the deep gash in his head. The reaction she had given on TV had been 100% legitimate. She watched helplessly as he practically ran into the ring post and not a second later a flush stream of blood was pouring down his face. There was no sight that horrified her more. "Is there anything I can do? I feel so helpless."

He opened one eye and glanced over at her. The distraught look on her face nearly hurt just as bad as the rest of him did. He struggled into a sitting position and took her hand. "You can come to bed with me."

"Paul!"

His ribs ached as he laughed. "Not like that! Just to sleep. Even if I wanted to I don't have the energy. Besides, I do have a standard you know."

The sight of a somewhat painless smile on his face put her at ease. "A very high standard. One that gets higher and higher with every performance," she teased.

"Well unfortunately there won't be any performances tonight. I just want to sleep so I can get up and do this all over again. Am I crazy?"

"Just as crazy as all the rest of us!" She said softly as she got to her feet and began undressing. "Come on then, let's get to bed."

A few minutes later and he mercifully fell onto the bed and pulled the covers around him. Getting his jeans off had been a struggle. His legs felt like they were on fire and every time he bent over his head started having a party. But he put that thought behind him and tried his best to ignore the pain riddling his body. Instead, he pulled Stephanie close, smiling when she cuddled into him and let the heat of her body soothe his pain away. "I love you," he sighed tiredly, his body already shutting down.

Stephanie glanced up at him and smiled softly. His eyes were practically closed over. "I love you too," she whispered pressing a gentle kiss to his lips before cuddling into him and drifting into a peaceful sleep herself.


	15. Chapter 15

**A/N** - I know it's been a while lol. I hope somebody out there is still reading this. I'm going to be putting my full focus on this one in order to get it finished because I have a lot of ideas floating around for new fics but I don't want to start writing new stories without at least making an attempt to finish the ones that I already have going. The last thing I want is about 50 unfinished stories lol. I have exams coming up too so I'm hoping this can be my outlet when I can't take anymore studying. Enjoy.....

* * *

The arena was electric. The fans were going absolutely crazy. Paul smiled into the mat as he pretended to hold the back of his head in pain. They had this place in the palm of their hand and there was no greater feeling on earth. He rolled over to his side and as he struggled to get to his feet again, his eyes connected with Stephanie's concerned gaze on the outside. Well, maybe there was one greater feeling. He subtly nodded his head in an attempt to let her know that he was OK, even if he wasn't. His body was killing him. That chain match last night had really taken it out of him. And now this tag match with Steve against Jericho and Benoit was going at warp speed. The work rate of the other guys was immense and he didn't want to let the match down so he kept struggling through, ignoring the little voice in the back of his head telling him that he was trying to do too much at once. He moved across to exchange blows with Benoit and was effectively dumped out of the ring. His ribs ached but he grit his teeth and waited for his spot. Sure enough, the huge roar of the crowd signalled what he was waiting for and he climbed back in the ring. Getting back to his feet, he began to charge, a look of determination on his face as he tried to break the Walls of Jericho and stop Austin from tapping out. And that's when he felt it. His left thigh was on fire, like someone had just hit him with a hot bat or shot him right in the kneecap. A second later the heat travelled up his leg and into his hip. He lost his balance and fell over. Dark little spots clouded his vision as an intense wave of pain flooded over his body. It was unbearable and he cried out in agony.

Stephanie frowned as a concerned expression crossed her face. What was he doing? He was supposed to break up the Walls and then beat on Jericho, not break up the move and then fall down. She had over heard them talking about it earlier. He would break up the submission move, they would beat each other to the outside, Paul would try to Pedigree Chris through the table and Chris would reverse it into the Walls of Jericho. She felt confused and fought the urge to go to him and see what he was doing. But his loud groan struck fear in her heart. She watched in horror as he rolled to the outside and tried to stand and almost collapsed right then and there. Something was wrong. Something was horribly wrong. She tried her best to make eye contact with him but his head was down and his wet blonde strands were covering his face. Even still she could tell he was hurt. He hadn't put any weight on his left leg at all and he was visibly limping. But her fear quickly turned back to confusion when he started dismantling the announce table. What the hell did he think he was doing? His leg was obviously hurt. He wasn't seriously going to go through with this was he? Her eyes locked with JR's who's concerned expression mirrored her own. No doubt her father was screaming through the head sets asking what the hell was happening. She wished somebody was able to provide an answer. Her attention was quickly diverted by Jericho trash talking as he walked to the announce table and they exchanged blows. The rest of it became a blur. She felt like she was watching on in slow motion as Chris yanked his legs up and behind him. Paul barely made a sound. Again, his hair was covering his face and masking the pained expression she knew had to be there. He was even tapping out. Paul. The consummate professional. She loved him for it but right now she could throttle him, especially if he was putting himself at risk for the sake of the show. Her heart about broke when Chris finally let go and ran back to the ring. Paul flopped off the table onto the ground groaning in pain and clasping his leg.

"Shit! Shit!" he breathed heavily to himself as he fell promptly against the mat. He swore he passed out for a few seconds there whilst in the Walls. He had never experienced anything more painful in his life. His leg was throbbing painfully. It felt detached from the rest of him yet at the same time it felt swollen to about three time its natural size. He wished the match was over. Unfortunately he knew what he had to do in order for that to happen. Struggling through excruciating pain, he managed to get up and stand on his good leg. He hobbled to the ring apron and leaned down, pulling the sledgehammer from underneath. Glancing in the ring, he saw Austin throw Jericho outside and as he turned around get yanked into the Crippler Crossface. That was his cue. He didn't know how but somehow he slid into the ring and again managed to stand on his right leg. Air puffed out of his mouth and he grit his teeth, trying to ignore the pain and do what he was meant to do. He struggled over and brought the hammer down. Benoit moved just in time and he nailed Austin instead. The fans cried out in joy at the mistake. Jericho hit the lionsault. Benoit tackled him to the outside. The referee counted to three and mercifully, it was over. As soon as he heard the bell he rolled to his side and immediately reached for his left leg, almost hugging it to his body while his other hand covered his face. He was in so much pain he could feel tears sting the back of his eyes but so help him he wasn't going to cry. Another hot rush swept up his leg and he groaned loudly. He was no medical expert but he swore that he had just torn his quadriceps muscle. That's what it felt like. Not like he had broken a bone but definitely that he had torn something. The unattached feeling led him to believe it was his quad. In a matter of seconds Chris the trainer and a few of the referees were huddled around him, asking questions and prodding at his leg. Even JR was over asking what was going on. But there was someone missing. Despite the agony he was in, his eyes scoured the area for Stephanie. And then he saw the flash of gold at his side. He remembered joking with her just before they walked through the curtain about how much he would enjoy taking her shiny gold hot pants off later that night. His heart sank as he realised that they would be doing nothing of the sort. And if the looks on the faces of the medical staff were right, they would be doing nothing of the sort for a good while yet.

"Hunter?"

He turned his head and their eyes connected. She looked scared, concerned and helpless. He didn't want her to worry. He forced a small smile and tried to sit up. "I'm fine."

"Whoa, whoa there, buddy! You're not going anywhere!" coaxed Chris as he gently tried to push him back down before talking into his head set that they needed a stretcher.

Paul glared at him. There was no way he was getting carried out of here by a stretcher. Even if it killed him he was walking out of this place on his own two feet. "I'm fine. I can walk." But his face screwed up as wave after wave of intense and painful ripples ran from his knee into his hip. His breathing became laboured as he grasped aimlessly at the ground.

"I think you should take his advice, son," JR said, his otherwise dormant face alive with worry and concern. He glanced curiously at the young woman in front of him and sighed. She looked terrified and rightly so. This didn't look good at all.

"Jim.........I can........fuck!"

"You can't walk out of here like this!"

"I'm not going on a stretcher! I won't do it. Just help me up."

"Hunt........" JR tried again.

"For God sakes, Paul!" interjected Stephanie. She had heard enough. Despite her concern a flash of anger simmered in her eyes. She momentarily glared at him before her face softened. "You need help. Let them help you!"

Paul sighed, ignoring the look on her face and struggled into a seated position with the help of the referees. He glanced around him. "If you want to help, then help me get out of here," he grumbled, defeated. After a few painful attempts, they finally managed to get him to his feet. With a man either side supporting his weight, they slowly but surely started to make their way to the back. As they neared the top of the ramp, Paul took one final glance behind him at the half full arena and swallowed the lump in his throat. This could very well be his last time as an active performer. He wondered if he would ever experience the thrill of being in the ring again.

As he hobbled on in front of her, Stephanie was thinking the exact same thing. Paul loved this business. It meant everything to him. Without it she didn't know what he would do or who he would be. And that's what scared her the most. She gulped down the nervous lump at the back of her throat and wiped at the tears beginning to sting the back of her eyes. Would they make it through this?


	16. Chapter 16

**A/N** - Thanks for the reviews guys. I know this is short but the next one is a bit longer so hopefully that will make it up to you. It's also finished and will be posted in a few days. I'll just let you simmer over this for now lol.

* * *

She watched him through the tiny window in the door. He looked like he was sleeping and probably was considering how much morphine they had pumped into him the second they arrived. After a long wait she was finally allowed to see him. And now here she stood just outside his door but too afraid to go in. She didn't want this to be real. She wanted to wake up to find herself in his arms. Unfortunately he was lying in there with his knee barely connected to the rest of his body. Swallowing the lump in her throat, she took a deep breath and gently pushed the door open, walking to his bedside and settling herself in the seat beside it. She moved to take his hand but immediately stopped at the sound of his soft grumble.

Paul let out a deep sigh as he tried to open his eyes. Or were they already open? He didn't have a clue. Not that it would matter. His vision was so blurred he couldn't see anything anyway. Not to mention that he felt as light as a feather, like he was floating. God damn drugs. He hated feeling so helpless. In fact, he hated this entire situation. A torn quad. A torn fucking quad. He still couldn't believe it. Maybe he was in denial. Maybe he didn't want to believe that his wrestling career could well and truly be over when he was only just hitting his stride. He raised his feather light arms to run them over his face. The more he thought about it, the sicker he felt.

"Paul?" Stephanie almost felt afraid to speak. He looked like he was in a trance. When his eyes turned to look at her she didn't think she was too far off the mark. His pupils were huge, his eyes wide. He looked way too relaxed to have just torn his quad.

Paul squinted as he tried to make out who it was before a grateful smile broke across his face. "Steph?"

"Yeah, it's me." She reached out and took his hand in hers, smiling softly when he immediately entwined their fingers.

"I was wondering when you were going to come. Where were you earlier when they were trying to give me every drug ever invented," he slurred happily. Just the mere feel of her hand in his made him feel so much better.

She chucked as she pulled the chair closer to the bed. "It looks like they succeeded."

"Bastards," Paul sighed before resting his head back against the pillow. "I wanted to wait until we got to Alabama but they injected me with their crap anyways. That shit should be illegal you know. You can't just drag people into hospitals and then start sticking needles into them, especially morphine. Morphine makes people high."

Stephanie couldn't hold back the laughter and she promptly burst into fits. Poor Paul. He was high on drugs yet still managed to complain...about being high on drug! Only him! His matter of fact attitude just made his whole little outburst cute and hilarious at the same time. God she loved him and she absolutely hated seeing him like this. At that thought, her laughter quickly subsided and was replaced with a concerned expression. She shuffled even further and began to stroke his hair. "Have you spoken to your doctor about getting moved?"

"Yeah he...he was in a little...while ago," he stuttered. His eyes were closing over on him as a fresh batch of morphine dripped from the IV into his arm.

"Paul?"

"Paul?"

She smiled grimly and squeezed his hand as he drifted off. She could feel tears beginning to sting the back of her eyes as the situation began to overwhelm her. He was going to have surgery in Alabama and he sure as hell wasn't going to be walking anytime soon. That meant that he would be off the road. Would her dad take this opportunity to try and split them up again? Her heart cringed at the thought. There was no way she could go through that again. It had almost killed her the last time. No. They were going to be together no matter what happened. If he came back to the ring she would be by his side. If not... She didn't even want to finish that thought. Paul would be absolutely devastated if he couldn't wrestle again. She didn't want that for him. He needed to be in that ring, he thrived on it and he loved it. Deciding that she needed some answers, she placed a kiss on his cheek before getting up and going in search of the doctor.


	17. Chapter 17

**A/N** - Well I'm not going to lie, I was a bit disappointed by the response to the last chapter. I know it was short and all but I was expecting more than two reviews lol. Anyways, here's the next chapter.

* * *

"Be careful! He's a trouble maker!"

Her playful shout echoed down the hall after the gurney. She kept her smile in place until it wheeled around the corner and he was out of sight. Only then did she allow the worried frown to appear on her face. She didn't want to worry him. It was only a few hours ago that she had sat in his private room holding his hand and telling him that everything would be OK. Whether either of them believed it was another story all together.

"Miss. McMahon? You can come on through here."

She turned and followed the small nurse to the room where Fred, their camera guy, was setting up. He glanced up from the equipment for a second to nod at her before going back to fiddling about with whatever he held in his hands.

"Mr. Levesque will be brought in here," the nurse continued and motioned to the huge window in front of her. "You can follow everything and we'll send somebody in to answer any questions you might have."

She had questions alright. Why did this have to happen to him? She knew he was heartbroken. No matter how many times he tried to mask it with his incredible smile, she could see it in his eyes. He had never looked so vulnerable or scared. All she wanted to do was hold him and tell him everything would be fine. And that's exactly what she did. Now all she had to do was pray that it really would be fine. Her hands wrung together as she gave a quick look over the room. She noticed Fred standing there looking at her hesitantly.

"Hey, Fred."

"Miss. McMahon," he nodded simply. "I'll just be using the main camera here. I'll take some shots of the surgery and some of you. That's it really."

He must have sensed her nerves for his expression had turned rather nervous itself. It wasn't everyday you got locked in a room with your boss's daughter while she sat and watched her not-so-secret-anymore boyfriend get major surgery on his leg. She offered a reassuring smile. "Thanks. I'll try not to blab everywhere." She tried to choke back the sob that had been threatening to escape ever since she woke up this morning but so help her she just couldn't hold back any longer. Her hand covered her mouth as she tried to get a hold of herself and stop the floodgates from opening. Fred looked awkward enough as it was. The last thing he wanted was for her to start crying, especially when Paul hadn't even been brought in yet.

"Are you...OK?" he asked stupidly.

Stephanie looked up at him and managed a small chuckle. "Sorry. I'm sorry, Fred." She wiped at her eyes and cleared her throat. "I'll be fine. It's just...you know...tough."

"Well, if you want me to stop filming just say."

"Thank you."

* * *

Almost four stressful hours later and she was at his bedside once again, impatiently waiting for him to wake up and tell her that he felt alright. Dr. Andrews could tell her everything went well until he was blue in the face but she wasn't going to be content until she heard it from him. The silence of the room was disturbed by a slight humming sound. It was different than the humming from the various machines Paul was hooked up to and after a few seconds she finally realised that it was her cell phone. She reached down and quickly yanked it from her bag.

"Hello?"

"Steph, it's me. How did everything go? Is he out of surgery yet?"

She smiled and carefully dropped Paul's hand so that she could relax into the chair to talk to her father. "Hey dad. Yeah, he's out of surgery. Dr. Andrews said that they couldn't have asked for a better reattachment of the muscle and that everything went perfectly. I just want him to wake up so I can tell him that it's all over," she sighed.

Vince could hear the frustration in his daughter's voice. He wished he could be there. If not for Paul then for Stephanie. But he couldn't. He didn't go to the hospital to visit any of the other guys when they got hurt. If he made an exception for Paul it would add to the already growing list of reasons for people to hate his guts. Oh how quickly things can change. Paul had gone from being the guy who earned his spot and worked his ass off to get there to the man who was using his daughter for power. He really wished people weren't as damn fickle as that. But he knew the truth, he knew that Paul loved his daughter and that was all he could ever ask for.

"Well, I'm sure you will be able to tell him soon. It doesn't take long for the drugs to wear off after a surgery. Just make sure you take care of yourself too. That came from your mother by the way. She also said to tell Paul that she is thinking about him."

Stephanie rolled her eyes. "Will do, dad!"

"So how long do you think you are going to be down there? I mean, we've got Raw on Monday..."

"I can't do it," she interrupted already knowing where the conversation was heading. "Please, dad. Just let me stay here long enough for him to get settled. He just tore his quad, he's away from the ring and he's all alone. Just give me one more week."

Vince sighed as he rubbed at his temples. "I guess we can do without you for a week," he caved. "Besides, there's no point in having Mrs. Game if we don't have The Game himself is there?"

"You are absolutely right! Thanks. I'll update you as soon as I know anything OK?"

"OK. I'll talk to you soon, Steph. Wish Paul the best for me when he wakes up. Bye"

"Bye." She snapped the phone closed and squeezed her eyes shut whilst taking deep breaths. Thanks God he had given her the week. If she was being honest, she would have taken it off anyway. There was just no way she was leaving him like this. Not until she knew he was settled.

"Who's absolutely right?" asked a raspy voice to her right. She immediately turned her head to find Paul awake and slowly adjusting to the light in the room. His eyes squinted and the IV bag rattled as he moved his hand to shield his eyes.

"Paul! You're awake!"

"Just about," he half joked. Finally his eyes didn't feel like they were being burned and he was able to take in his surroundings. He looked at Stephanie and even in her dishevelled state she was by far the best thing he had seen in days. A soft smile crossed his face. She hadn't left his side throughout this whole ordeal. She was right there holding his hand when he drifted off and most times in the exact same position when he woke up again.

Stephanie pulled her chair closer and reached for his hand. "How do you feel?"

"Like shit."

She smiled apologetically and began to toy with his fingers. "Do you want me to get you anything?"

"I've got everything I'm going to need right here." His eyes focused on their joined hands for a few moments before he looked up and locked his gaze on to hers. "Thank you, Steph."

"What for?" she asked in confusion.

"For being here for me, for supporting me, for...for taking care of me. I..." He was cut off when her hand softly covered his mouth. She moved her face right next to his and leaned her forehead against him.

"You don't have to thank me baby," she whispered. "I'm not going anywhere. Whether you like it or not, we are in this together."

Paul smiled his first genuine smile in days. Despite the fact that his leg was hurting like hell, she never failed to make him feel just that little bit better. "Trust me, I like it. I like it a lot." His smile was set to get wider until a sharp pain shot from his knee to his hip. In a matter of seconds he was grabbing onto his leg and gasping for air, the pain so intense he could barely breathe. The meds had most definitely worn off and he was now getting hit full force with the pain of the surgery. "Fucking hell! Fuck!"

Stephanie immediately leaned over and pressed the call button before turning her full attention to him. She kept a tight grip on his hand. "It's alright. Just breathe, Paul. Keep breathing OK?" Within seconds a nurse appeared in the room and upon seeing her patient in such a state, she quickly administered a dose of pain relief into his IV.

"That should do the trick," she said calmly. The old woman glanced at Stephanie and offered a reassuring smile. "The drugs just wore off, honey. It's completely normal and nothing to worry about." She stayed a few seconds to make sure the meds were doing what they were supposed to. The soft sigh that came from the bed told that they were indeed doing the job. She patted Stephanie on the shoulder before scurrying on to her next patient.

"Oh My God! Are you alright? Paul?" Stephanie was checking on him the second the nurse turned to leave.

"Huh?" he slurred, turning his head in the wrong direction to where she was sitting.

She had to admit, he was extremely cute when drugged out of his mind. "I'm over here," she joked and then laughed when he turned to her in confusion. Those drugs must be some series stuff to knock a guy his size almost completely out.

"Hey!" he smiled at her. "I can't feel my legs!" His eyes grew wide with his apparent amusement at the situation. If only he was lucid enough to know what that actually meant. Just as quickly as his smile appeared it began to disappear. His eyes began to droop and his head flopped onto the pillow.

Stephanie watched as he quickly drifted off to sleep again. She really hated this. For the past three days he had either been asleep or high on drugs. She could only imagine his reaction when he finally got the chance to actually think about and deal with what he had went through. And when that time came she would be right there at his side. With that in mind, she loosely wrapped her hand around his and tried to get comfortable in her chair. It was going to be another long day.


	18. Chapter 18

**A/N** - Yes, it's been forever since I updated this but I haven't forgotten about it. BS and DLMG have just been taking up all my time these days. Not to mention Voices back when I was still working on that. Anyways, I eventually managed to get something down. I hope there is still an audience after all this time lol.

* * *

"So this is it, huh? My digs for the next few months."

Stephanie glanced at him from the corner of her eye as he wheeled himself into the room. His leg was stuck out straight, resting in the catch on the wheelchair. His face showed his lack of enthusiasm and she couldn't blame him. The hotel room was actually quite nice. It was the fact that he had to spend probably the next nine months here while his leg healed. That was the part that left them both feeling sour. "It seems nice enough," she commented simply. She watched as he wheeled himself in further and picked up the television remote. He clicked it on and began flicking through the channels.

"They don't have USA," he frowned. "Damn. I can't even watch RAW while I'm down here." He threw the remote onto the bed in anger. There was no point in trying to hide it. He was fucking pissed.

"Paul..." she trailed off, not quite sure what to say. Her heart broke when his head lifted and he looked her in the eye. He looked so upset. "Oh baby," she hushed as she moved to kneel before him. He refused to meet her gaze and she grabbed his face, forcing him to look at her. "Listen, I'll call my dad and see if we can work something out OK?"

Paul sighed and pushed himself away from her, wheeling over to the bed. "It's not about that. It's just..." he broke off as he struggled out of the chair and tried his best to move into the bed. His arms were shaking, his leg jangling dangerously to the ground. It bumped off the hard floor before he finally managed to pull himself up. "Fuck!" His hands grasped at the cast on his leg. "Jesus I fucking hate this," he breathed heavily.

"I hate it too," she managed to get out. She felt like crying. Watching him just now killed her and she knew it had to be killing him too. He was so proud and independent. The fact that he could barely manage to get onto his bed alone must be driving him nuts. She walked over and sat down beside him. "But..."

"It is what it is, right?"

His question only made her feel worse. They had to face up to the reality of their situation whether they wanted to or not. He was stuck here in Alabama for God knows how long. She had to go back on the road sooner or later. How were they going to make this work?

"Hey," he called upon seeing her sombre expression. He reached out and took her hand, trying his best to sound upbeat. "I'll get through this. I may not like it and I may have a long way to go, but I'll get through this." He pressed his forehead against hers. "_We'll_ get through this," he whispered causing her eyes to flutter shut. "I'm just going to need some time to get my head around things so, if I'm an asshole I'm apologizing in advance right now."

She smiled softly and pulled back. "You're not an asshole."

"No?"

"No. And even if you were, that still isn't going to put me off. I want you to know something," she paused and framed his face with her hands. "I'm in this for the long run, Paul. I'm not going to abandon you down here and we will come out of this stronger than ever."

Her words warmed his heart. He kissed her slowly and softly before pulling back. "You don't know how glad I am to hear that because I don't know how I would get through it without you."

His whispered breath washed over moist lips right before he kissed her once again, this time more deeply. They began to get caught up in each other, falling down onto the bed despite the awkwardness created by his cast. She pushed him onto his back and rolled to sit on his stomach. At least that's where she thought she was sitting. When he bolted upright and almost tossed her to the floor in the process she realized she was sorely mistaken.

"JESUS! Fuck...ahhhhh!" he yelped, grabbing at his leg in agony.

Stephanie immediately moved out of the way and looked on in horror as he buried his face into the pillow. "Oh My God! Paul! Are you OK? I'm so sorry baby, I didn't know..." she trailed off, trying to tend to him but she didn't know what to do. He was breathing heavily. God she felt horrible. "Paul?"

"I'm OK," he panted. "I'll...be...OK. Fucking hell." He ran one hand over his face while the other still clutched at his leg. She had bumped her leg right against his knee causing a hot wave of pain to shoot up into his hip. It fucking hurt. After a few more agonizing seconds, the pain eventually subsided and he was able to peek at her through his fingers. She looked horrified. He slowly pulled his hand away and managed a small smile. "I guess we need to take it easy when we're...you know."

She was so relieved to see him joking about what just happened. If she had seriously hurt him she would never have forgiven herself. "I guess so." She cautiously moved towards him and took his hand. "I'm so sorry. I..."

"Hey, it's alright. We just need to be careful. Now you've got an extra stiff leg to deal with...wait a minute, that didn't come out right at all!"

"Oh you!" She chuckled as she wriggled her way to his side. Trust him to make some sort of sex joke at a time like this. They were both leaning against the headboard, hands entwined together on her lap. "Paul?"

He turned to look at her and couldn't read the expression on her face. "Yeah?"

"I love you."

A genuine smile crossed his face and his heart fluttered. Jesus she was beautiful. And out of all the places she could be right now she was here, in a crappy hotel room with a now invalid boyfriend professing her love and looking as beautiful as he'd ever seen. Yeah, his leg may be fucked. Hell, there was a chance he wouldn't wrestle again. But he had her and more and more he was beginning to think that maybe she was all he needed. He pressed his head against hers and closed his eyes. "I love you too.


	19. Chapter 19

**A/N** - So it has been a few months for this one. I really do aim to get it finished this year lol. At least I have another 11 months to come through on that, ha! Enjoy and let me know what you think.

* * *

"You can leave it at that today, Paul."

"Huh?" Paul asked as he looked up distractedly. His attention was completely and fully on his bent leg; well, if you could even call it bent. He was able to move it a whole 2cm. To say he was frustrated was an understatement.

Roy Hodges shook his head and tapped his patient on the arm, finally getting him to look his way. "I said that you can leave it at that for today."

"But what time is it?"

"It's 4.15, why?"

Paul groaned as he shuffled on the bench and stretched his leg out once again. "We still have 45 minutes. This place doesn't close until 5."

"Paul," the older man sighed, running a hand over his face. He had never worked with a more determined patient in his life. Ever since he had been given the go ahead to start rehab almost 2 weeks ago, the man had been a nonstop, balls to the wall rehab machine. He was here when the centre opened and didn't leave until it closed. But he was worried that it would all be too much too soon for his still very injured leg. "Look, I really think you need to slow down a bit. If you keep going like this you could end up..."

"Tell me something," Paul interrupted. "If I go for another 45 minutes is it going to seriously hinder my progress?"

"Well I have no way of knowing that for sure. I just think..."

"Well then I'm staying here. Besides, you have something to go home to. All I have is an empty hotel room."

Roy looked at the younger man in sympathy. He had only known him for a few weeks but it was plain as day how much he loved his job and how badly he wanted to get back. Being away from everything and having to watch it on TV every week must have been killing him. Hell maybe the guy even had a wife he wanted to get back to. "I'm not going to pretend that I know what you're going through. But, I can tell you from experience that overdoing it in here isn't going to make things any better overall. You've been rehabbing for 2 weeks, son. You can't expect results this quickly."

They locked eyes for a few moments and Paul finally sighed, letting his eyes drop to the floor. He knew this was going to take time but so help he didn't know if he had it in him. It had only been 2 weeks and already he was going stir crazy. Rehabbing all day and spending his nights alone wasn't going to cut it. "It's just..." a sad chuckle escaped him. "I really don't want to go back to that hotel room and sit by myself for the rest of the night."

"I don't know what to say to that. But what I do know is that..." Roy took a deep breath before letting it out and deciding to just be frank. "This is going to be your life for the next few months and the sooner you accept that the easier it will be." He swallowed the tiny lump that appeared in his throat when Paul's head snapped in his direction and glared at him for a few moments, then silently sighed with relief when the other man's eyes softened and he sighed softly.

"In other words, suck it up, right?"

"I guess so!"

"You know what, Roy?" Paul said, laying a hand on the other man's shoulder and very slowly getting to his feet. "You just might be right on the money with that one." He grabbed his towel and reached for his crutches. "I'm going to grab a shower and head back to the hotel. I guess I'll see you tomorrow." With a smile and an exchange of goodbyes, he slowly hobbled to the locker rooms in search of that shower.

* * *

Around an hour or so later, Paul collapsed onto his bed face first and just lay there for a moment. He was plain old beat and his leg was starting to throb. Maybe he had been overdoing it.

"Damn," he sighed as he rolled to his back and scrambled back against the pillows. His hand blindly reached for the remote control. Feeling something solid in his hand, he reached out and then chuckled when he realized that he was trying to turn the TV on with his damn pill box. "Great. I don't even take the stupid pills yet I still end up acting like an idiot." Spying the actual remote next to the lamp on the bedside table, he switched the TV on and settled back for some quality channel surfing. He must have gone through 20 channels until he flicked onto USA and a commercial was playing for RAW. Was it Monday already? He didn't even know anymore. It would be on in a few hours. Stephanie would probably be running around backstage in that calm yet chaotic way she always did, doing everything her dad asked her to do yet still finding the time to do the things she needed to do as well. She really was wonder woman. A subconscious smile broke out on his face as he thought about her. He could just picture her standing at the gorilla holding a clipboard tight to her chest. She was wearing one of those lethally short skirts that showed off her killer legs. She lived to tease him with those legs of hers. How he loved to run his hands up and down them. His eyes slipped shut and a heavy sigh escaped him. They hadn't been together since the surgery. It just wasn't possible with his cast. Ever since she had accidently sat on him she was scared to touch him. Besides, she hadn't been to see him in over a week. But that was the nature of the business. It was tough. And when you got hurt you were on your own. With a heavy heart he sighed again and reached for the room service menu. At least he would get to see her on TV tonight. Hopefully she would have something substantial to do. Almost as soon as he set the phone down after placing his order, it began to ring again.

"Hello?"

"Hi!"

A huge smile appeared at the sound of her voice. "Steph! I was just thinking about you, you know."

"You were?"

He nestled further into the cushions and kicked at his shoes, watching them drop to the floor with a soft thud. "Uh-huh, standing there at the gorilla with a very short skirt on."

"Why Mr. Helmsley," she chuckled playfully, just happy to be able to speak to him. Her dad had her run off her feet all damn day. "Does your wife know you think about other women like this?"

Paul held in his laugh and continued with her little game. "I don't know. But I don't think she'd like to hear what else I was thinking about. That could just quite lead to a rather sticky situation."

"Paul!"

"What!" He shrugged his shoulders and smirked innocently even though she couldn't' see him. "I'm only telling you the truth here. You should know from experience."

Stephanie could only shake her head in response. "What the hell did they do to you at rehab today? Give you extra horny pills or something?"

"First of all, I don't need horny pills never mind extra horny pills. And secondly...I just miss you." His voice trailed off at the end, his emotions getting the best of him.

"God, I miss you too. So much," Stephanie sighed. She was endlessly looking for loopholes in her calendar that would allow her to fly out to see him for a few days but she was booked solid. Everything went silent until she let out another sigh and asked him about rehab. The sadness in his voice broke her heart. They were states apart and missing each other badly. To top it all off, he was feeling down and there was nothing she could do to make him feel better.

"So, how's that schedule of yours looking? Do you have any free time for your poor crippled boyfriend?" he half laughed.

She absently shook her head at his choice of words. "You're not a cripple."

"Seeing as you haven't answered my question I'm going to take that as a no," he sighed dejectedly.

"I'm booked solid for the next 10 days." Her heart broke at the sadness in his voice. She was missing him just as much as he was missing her. But at least she had something to distract herself with. He was down there all alone. "I'm so sorry baby."

"It's alright, Steph. We knew it was going to be this way. It's just..."

"Hard," they both said at the same time, and then broke into gentle laughter.

"I really don't know why I'm laughing, it isn't funny," she said as her frustration at the situation began to bubble to the surface.

Paul rubbed a hand over his face, then picked at a small pock on his pants."Yeah well..." Just then there was a knock on the door signalling that his food had arrived.

"You have a visitor, Levesque? It had better not be some floozy or we are through!"

"Relax woman, it's just my dinner!"

She listened for a minute or two as he shuffled around and spoke to whoever was in the room with him. She only wished she could be there too. When he finally spoke into the phone again she decided it was time to let him go eat. "Listen, I'm going to let you go eat your dinner. I'll call you after the show OK?"

"Sure. And hey, you had better be wearing that skirt of yours or I'm going to be severely disappointed."

Stephanie broke into all out laughter and shook her head. "You'll just have to watch and find out." When they finally did get together she was pretty sure he was going to jump her bones. As a shiver ran down her spine she knew that she couldn't wait.

"I love you, Steph," he said softly, meaning every word.

"I love you too. Bye."

"Bye." He hung up the phone and just sat there staring at the tray before him. After a moment of feeling sorry for himself, he finally picked his head up and started eating. RAW would be on soon. If he couldn't have the real thing then the second best thing would have to do.


	20. Chapter 20

**A/B** - Thanks for the reviews for the last chapter guys. This one is coming to the end now. Only a few chapters left I think, well that's what I have mapped out anyways. I guess we'll see what happens!

* * *

She was positively shaking with excitement as she pulled her small suitcase along the corridor. Her eyes anxiously scanned the number on every door until she found the one she was looking for. Finally! Her knuckles rapped against the solid wood and she waited impatiently for him to open the door. She could hear him shuffling around until at long last the door opened and his confused eyes were staring into hers.

"Surprise!" she squeaked in delight, throwing her arms out and almost melting when he pulled her close and hugged her tight.

"Steph! What are you doing...I can't...what the hell?"

They pulled back and Stephanie was instantly captivated by his eyes, eyes that she hadn't gazed into for too damn long. "I'll explain later," she said as she finally broke their stare and walked inside the room. Dumping her case and handbag on the floor, she quickly turned to find him standing there on his crutches looking all kinds of adorable with that shocked yet happy expression.

"I can't believe it," he said with a chuckle. She was really here. "How did you..."

Not able to stand it for one second longer, she walked towards him and placed her finger over his lips. "Later," she whispered softly. "Right now I just want to do this." She grabbed the back of his head and pulled his mouth down for a much needed kiss. They both sighed heavily, luxuriating in the feel of each other after all this time. He didn't know it but she was exactly what he needed. Instantly feeling his need for her reach fever pitch, he began to push her jacket off her shoulders before his hands worked their way to her behind.

"God, I've missed you so much," she moaned breathlessly when they broke apart. She was physically aching for him. But despite her desperate need she didn't want to do anything if he wasn't up for it. She was still haunted by the time she had accidently sat on his leg. Reaching up to caress his face with her hands, she pulled him level and looked right into his eyes. "But I don't want to do anything if you're not able to."

"Babe," he began sincerely, taking her hands into his. "I'm touched by your concern for my wellbeing and all but, if I don't get to have sex with you right now I'll just about spontaneously combust at any second."

She burst out laughing at his serious tone while at the same time her body tingled all over. "Works for me!"

"Good. Just don't sit on my left leg again. The middle one is free for the taking thou..."

He didn't even get to finish his sentence as he was cut off by her lips and tongue working against his. She carefully manoeuvred him to the bed where they got lost in each other and made up for some seriously lost time.

* * *

Sometime later they lay wrapped in each other's arms. Paul nuzzled his face against her neck and sighed deeply while his fingers twirled her hair. "I still can't believe that you came."

Stephanie felt the most relaxed she had in weeks. "Well it didn't come without a fight. I practically had to tell dad that I was coming whether he said I could or not."

"Oh shit. I should expect an angry phone call now then for taking his baby girl away, huh?"

She laughed softly and turned to face him. "I don't know and I don't care, I just had to see you."

"I'm glad you did," he smiled and kissed her softly. After a moment they pulled back and he got a funny look on his face.

"What?" she asked in confusion.

"Well, it turns out that I'm not the best company. After spending all this time alone I'm just about ready to kill myself!"

She buried her head in his chest and laughed at his stupid comment. "And what would be the point of that? If you kill yourself, well, you're dead!"

"It's not like anybody would miss me. I am down here all by myself after all," his voice dropped and his eyes stared up at the ceiling.

Stephanie immediately felt his body shift and his tone change. His playfulness was gone and her heart went out to him. "Oh baby." She brought a hand to caress his stubbly jaw and frowned when he refused to look at her. "Listen, I know it's hard but..."

"No you don't."

"What?" she pulled her hand back and sat up slightly.

"You don't know it's hard because you're not here going through it all. I am. I'm here by myself going through all this shit alone." He hadn't meant to snap at her but every time he spoke about his current situation his anger got the better of him.

His sudden change of mood and attitude left her feeling cold and she unconsciously shifted away from him, pulling the sheets around her in the process. "You're not alone, Paul. But what do you expect from me here? I can't just drop everything and come live in a hotel with you for the next six or seven months. I have a job too, you know."

"I didn't say that. But you can't say that you know what I'm going through because you don't, you're not here to see it. Look I..." he broke off and rubbed a hand over his face. This wasn't what he wanted to do right now, not when she flew all the way down here to see him. He calmed himself before turning to her and offering a small smile. "Let's not talk about this. You're only here for the next three days. I want to spend my time being with you not fighting with you."

A sigh she didn't even know she was holding in escaped from her lips as she returned the smile and cuddled back into him. He was right. Clearly it was a touchy issue for him and if it meant that they would fight then she would rather avoid the whole thing. She would just have to ignore the giant gorilla in the room until he was ready to talk about it. What she didn't know was that the gorilla was about to make himself be heard in a very big way.

* * *

Paul sighed in frustration as he hobbled into the room and immediately made his way to the mini bar. Stephanie's eyes widened in shock as she followed him into the room and saw him opening the cap of one of the small whiskey bottles. Was he serious? She quickly ran over and snatched the bottle out of his hand. "What the hell do you think you're doing?"

He scoffed while glaring at her. "You're not my mother, Steph," he said sarcastically as he reached into the small fridge for another bottle. When she snatched that one up too he took a deep breath and tried not to explode.

"Mother or not, if you think I'm going to let you drink yourself into oblivion because of one small set back then you've got another thing coming." She was absolutely furious with him. He had been a complete and utter asshole to everybody who had the misfortune of meeting him between the trainer telling him that things weren't going as smoothly as expected and now, including her and she wasn't going to stand for it.

"One small setback? One _small_ setback, huh? Tell you what, why don't you rehab all day every day for damn near three months only to have somebody tell you that you aren't recovering as well as you should be and we'll see how you feel," he snapped. He'd had enough of people telling him that everything would be OK because right now it wasn't.

She ran a hand through her hair and sighed heavily. "I said it last night and I'll say it again. What do you expect me to do, Paul? You want me to move down here and give up my life while you're rehabbing, is that it?"

"Give up your life? So I'm an inconvenience to you now then?" He couldn't believe she had just said that. Bad enough that his leg was fucked but she wanted to start messing with his heart too.

"I didn't say that, Paul and you know it. Jesus!" she cried in exasperation. This wasn't him, this wasn't her Paul. The man standing in front of her right now was acting like a cheeky and depressed asshole.

"There's no point in crying out for him," he fumed, trying his best to pace around on his crutches. "Look at all the good he's done so far."

Her heart rate was going through the roof with anger at this whole mess. Did she really fly down here for this? "What, so now its God's fault?"

"I DON'T KNOW WHO'S FAULT IT FUCKING IS!"

That was the last straw. She loved him with her heart and soul but she was not prepared to stand there and be talked to like that. Completely ignoring his outburst she began searching for her things. She grabbed her coat and angrily pulled it on while flinging her scattered clothes into the open suitcase by the foot of the bed. In a matter of seconds she had all her belongings and was on her way to the door.

"Where are you going?"

"I'm not going to stand here and listen to this, Paul. I get that this is hard for you and I'm willing to cut you some slack but I'm not prepared to stand here and deal with your feeling sorry for yourself bullshit!"

Paul snarled and made his way to stand in front of her. "I'm not feeling sorry for myself," he outright lied. That's exactly what he was doing but he was too pissed off to even acknowledge that he was wrong.

"Well whatever you're doing, I'm not doing it with you." And with that she promptly walked out the door and left him standing there in his misery.


	21. Chapter 21

**A/N** - Thanks for the reviews on the last chapter** levesque fan forever, McLevesque Fan 1, Cena's baby doll **and **amanda. T**hey are much appreciated. And yes, this one really is nearing the end. Stay tuned for the finale!

* * *

He kept his head low and eyes trained to the ground as he made his way inside the arena. His crutches squeaked awkwardly and inwardly he cringed. The noise was starting to get on his last damn nerve. Taking a deep breath, he stopped for a moment and shut his eyes, letting a fleeting moment of calm descend. He needed to keep his cool and do what he set out to do. They hadn't spoken in almost a week. He was so fucking stupid. Why did he have to act like a total psycho? The whole thing was completely his fault but he just didn't have the courage to admit it so instead he had thrown himself into rehab even more. At least this time it was actually working out. The doctors said that he was slowly improving and with that bit of hopeful news he decided that he needed to grow a set and apologize. So here he was. Raw was in Atlanta tonight. When he heard he immediately decided to organize arrangements to get himself here. Now all he had to do was find her.

"Paul! Holy shit man, look at you!"

He turned to find his old friend Sean 'X-Pac' Waltman sitting on one of the production cases. A small smile tugged at the corners of his mouth. It was good to see a friendly face. "Hey man."

"What are you doing here? And on crutches. Shit!"

"Oh I thought I'd come and show my face, make sure Vince hasn't forgotten about me," Paul chuckled lowly. There was no way he was admitting the real reason he was here. They were still keeping things semi-secret.

Pac vigorously shook his head. "Nah. I'm sure the old man is crying out for you right about now. The deal with WCW isn't working out the best. No Hogan, no Big Sexy, no Goldberg, no nothing. Word is that they are going to turn some of our guys, have them fight on the WCW/ECW side."

"Really?" he asked curiously. And that's when it hit him. He glanced around and noticed many new but familiar faces hanging around the backstage area. Man he really had been gone a while. The WWF locker room wasn't just solely for WWF guys anymore. "So uh..." he dropped his voice and motioned around with his head. "What's it like, having all the new guys in the back? Any trouble?"

"Not really. Apart from a few ego clashes it has all gone down pretty well. Come on, I was just about to go grab some food. You want to come with me? I can catch you up!"

Paul considered the invitation for a moment before shaking his head no. "I can't. Vince wants me to check in. I'd rather get it out of the way so I can chill later," he lied. He needed to speak to Stephanie and it couldn't wait.

"No worries. I'll see you later man."

His eyes followed his friend down the corridor for a moment or two until he turned around and continued his search. He ignored the obvious stares from all the new talent. What the fuck was their problem? So he hadn't been here when they came in. It wasn't like they had never seen him on TV before, Jesus! He tried not to scowl as he received more and more sideways glances. Completely ignoring them, he hobbled on until he found the door with Talent Relations on the front. Not even bothering to knock, he walked inside and frowned. She wasn't there.

"Hunter!"

He smiled. If there was one person that he actually wanted to see it was good ol' JR. "Hey Jim."

JR got up of his seat and walked to stand in front of the man he had signed to a contract all those years ago. He had seen the damage to Paul's leg on the night it happened and knew that it must be killing him to be out right now. "So, what's the story with the leg?"

"I'm getting there I guess. I can move it a couple of millimetres now, aren't I the best," he half joked.

"Well just stick at it. We miss you on the show and we need you back."

Paul smiled genuinely at the older man. "Thanks. I didn't know it but I think I really needed to hear that. This business moves fast. I don't want people forgetting about me." They both shared a soft chuckle before Paul decided that he had to just bite the bullet if he wanted to find her. "Um, have you ah...have you seen Stephanie anywhere?"

A momentary silence fell upon the pair. JR gave a strange look before nodding his head. "She's at the gorilla running over things with Vince." He knew that Paul was a smart guy. He just hoped that he knew what he was doing.

"Thanks, Jim. Guess I'll see you around." Paul offered a small smile before turning and being on his way. Even JR looked spooked at the prospect of them being together. But at this stage he didn't care. He needed her like the very air he breathed and this week apart made it more apparent to him than ever. He rounded the corner and spotted both McMahon's mulling over something on a clipboard. Vince was the first to look up and spot him. Paul couldn't help but grin back at the exuberant smile on the older man's face.

"PAUL! Ha! I didn't know you were coming today. How's the leg? How's rehab?" Vince said affably as he threw his arm around his shoulders.

Paul momentarily ignored Stephanie and gave his boss his full attention. From what he saw she didn't even bother to look at him anyway. "I'm doing well, Vince. Everything is on track for my return."

"That's what I like to hear. We miss ya on the show. And I'm pretty sure this one here misses having you around too," Vince joked as he motioned to his daughter. When neither Stephanie nor Paul even cracked a smile a confused frown appeared. He glanced between them and sighed softly. It didn't take a rocket scientist to figure out that something was going on. Paul was awkwardly shuffling on his crutches and Stephanie was looking everywhere but at him. "Alright, well, I have things to do so I'm going to leave you two to talk. Come see me later, Paul." He gave them both one hopeful stare before turning and being on his way.

Stephanie silently cursed her father for leaving them like this. She was still angry at him. But part of her had to admit that she was happy to see him here.

"So, are you going to look at me or do I have to apologize to your ear?"

She turned to find him leaning to his right side, a small smile on his face and his eyes wide. Damn him for looking so cute. But he wasn't getting off that easily. "Who says that I want to listen?" She finally looked him in the eye and saw him physically cringe at her tight lipped response.

"Steph..." Paul groaned. His head hung low for a moment. "Can we go somewhere to talk? Please?"

"This way," she threw over her shoulder as she turned and started walking down the hallway. She led them into an empty locker room and dropped her clipboard on the table.

Paul recognized her handbag on the couch. He made his way over and sat down, his leg poking out to the floor uncomfortably. He sighed heavily before deciding to just jump in with both feet, bad leg and all. "Listen, I'm so sorry about the other day. I was..."

"An asshole? A jerk? Completely and utterly selfish not to mention rude and..."

His eyes widened in shock at her outburst before he cut in and stopped her. "Alright! All of those things, I was all of them and I'm sorry. I should never have spoken to you or anybody else like that." She turned her head to look at him and he saw the hurt in her eyes. It made him feel like an ever bigger dick. His hand instantly shot out to rest on her knee. "This past week has been hell. All I could think about was how much of a stupid dick I am and how you didn't deserve that."

Stephanie felt her resolve weaken. His eyes were pleading for forgiveness. She reached out and covered the warm hand on her knee, slowly working her fingers between his and gripping them tight. "No, I didn't deserve it and yes, you were a stupid dick," they laughed lowly and she shuffled closer to him on the sofa. "But I guess I'm going to have to forgive you."

"Really?"

Her heart flipped at the look on his face. His head was tilted slightly and he was looking at her like she was the most important thing in the world to him. She liked to think that she was. "Really." Her whispered reply was quickly swallowed into his chest as he tugged her into him tightly, burying his face in her soft hair and sighing deeply. She squeezed him back, revelling in the feel of his arms after all this time. She hated when they fought, even if it was for good reason.

"I missed you so much. God I'm such an idiot," he mumbled, pulling back and grasping her chin between his thumb and forefinger. He gazed into her eyes and smiled sweetly. "How could I ever be so stupid to fight with you? You're perfect."

A fierce blush covered her cheeks at his words and she glanced at the floor. Some might consider it sweet talking but she knew he was being sincere. He was using _that_ voice, the voice he only ever used with her. He gripped her chin and softly pulled her gaze back to him. "I love it when you blush like that," he grinned. She grinned back and playfully slapped his arm. "Shut up! You still have a lot of making up to do."

Paul felt a heavy weight drift off his shoulders. All was right with the world again. "And I plan to do all of it, starting with this." His hand threaded into her hair and he moved his face in for a kiss which she happily obliged. They sighed together, delighting in the feel of having the other so close. It was always bad to fight. But at least there one upside; making up. She moaned deeply when his tongue pushed inside to play with hers. They wound together slowly as they kissed unhurriedly. Finally they broke apart for air but kept their faces close, foreheads pressed together.

"I love you," he whispered sincerely.

"I know. I love you too."

* * *

The roar of the fans was deafening as Rocky ran to the ring and started whopping ass all around him. He watched from the small monitor in the back and for the first time in a long time, Paul felt that familiar rush. He inhaled deeply and shut his eyes, letting the feeling wash over him but that wasn't the only thing. As he slowly let out the deep breath he felt almost a fresh wave of determination course through his veins. He wanted to be back. He wanted to be back in that ring and better than ever. In that exact moment he knew that he would be. No matter what it took he would make it back. He had to. Wrestling was in his blood. He felt a soft hand slip into his and smiled down at her. Wrestling was in his blood but Stephanie was in his heart. With the two working in tandem he had no doubts. Five months. Five more months and he would be back where he belonged. He dropped her hand and wrapped an arm around her waist, pulling her close. Everything was going to be OK, he just knew it.


	22. Chapter 22

**A/N** - Alright. So two years later and this one is finally done. I want to say a HUGE thank you to every and anybody that reviewed this. If it was only once or if you were here right the way through I'm really thankful that you took the time to drop a few comments. They really do mean the world so thanks. This was one of the first Trips/Steph stories that I wrote. 4th or 5th if I remember correctly and it is my version of how they really got together which quite honestly, any fan of theirs needs to have written at least one time lol. Maybe I'll decide to write a different version down the line but for now this is your lot! I hope I did one of my personal favorite moments in WWE history justice and also ended this fic on a high note. Thanks again and please let me know what you thought about this last chapter, good or bad lol. And yes the last line is cheesy but whatever! Ok, I'm done rambling and you can go read it now!

* * *

**January 7th 2002**

Paul shook his head as he listened to another 'Triple H' chant start up. He had lost count of the number of times that had happened over the course of the night. MSG seemed to be craving The Game. He just didn't know whether he was ready to face them yet. He let out a heavy sigh and ran a hand over his face. To say he was scared shitless was the understatement of the century. Despite the non-stop chants and the huge pops every time his name was mentioned or an old clip showed up on the titantron he couldn't stop the butterflies and nerves that had been tormenting his stomach for the past week. What if they didn't remember him? What if they didn't want him back? What if his music hit and he walked out there to crickets?

"Fuck," he muttered under his breath. He was one hundred and fifty percent bricking it. His eyes caught Trish Stratus and Jazz talking over their segment. He was after them. His stomach practically flipped over on itself as he thought about it.

"Breathe baby. It's gonna be fine." Her hushed words mixed with the feel of her soft hand gently kneading his neck instantly calmed him down. He took a deep breath and then turned to face her. Stephanie. She really had been his rock throughout this ordeal and without her there every step of the way he knew he wouldn't have made it. Despite the fact that sometimes she couldn't even be with him in Alabama, just hearing her voice will him on over the phone was enough. And when she did come to see him their time was even more special. Since their big bust up all those months ago they hadn't really fought again. Instead he channeled all his frustration and anger into rehab and now here he was, five months later about to make his return to the WWE.

"My stomach is doing somersaults," he laughed nervously.

Stephanie looked at him and felt her heart swell. She was so proud of him, so proud she could burst. Nobody knew just what he had gone through to get here, to get to this point right now just minutes before his big return, nobody except her. In a way she sort of felt like this injury brought them closer. It sure as hell made her realize just how much she really did love him and she was pretty sure it did the same for him. They had come out of the whole thing stronger. She slowly ran her hand from his neck down his arm and finally to his hand. Their fingers slid together. "That's perfectly normal. There are what? Twenty thousand people that have been going crazy all night out there waiting to see you."

"You're not helping."

"I'm sorry," she chuckled and gave his hand a squeeze. "Listen, just stop thinking about it. You're getting yourself all worked up over nothing. When you walk out of that curtain this place is going to explode, Paul."

He shook his head for a second and looked at her questioningly. "How can you know that? What if…"

"Stop!" She tugged on his hand insistently. "No more what ifs, you hear me? They're going to go crazy for you honey, I just know it."

Paul took another deep breath. He was just about to reply when he saw Vince walking towards them over her shoulder. He nodded his head and smiled at his boss. "Vince."

"Game! Are you ready for this?" Vince asked, slapping the younger man on the back. He smiled at the pair of them and couldn't help but chuckle at the frown that appeared on his face. "Oh come on, Paul. You can't still be nervous after hearing them chanting your name all night. They can't wait for you to get out there!"

"Thank you dad!" Stephanie cried in exasperation. "I've been telling him the exact same thing but he won't listen."

"Alright, alright! Bad enough getting yelled at by one McMahon all the time, I don't need another one joining in too!"

Vince and Stephanie looked between themselves and smiled that McMahon smile. "Oh nonsense! Just enjoy it, son. It's going to be a moment you'll never forget."

The trio started walking from the general backstage area to the gorilla. They watched the small monitor and saw that the Divas segment was now over. The 'Triple H Returns NEXT!' bumper appeared on the screen and suddenly a HUGE roar erupted from inside the arena. Paul's eyes grew wide. "Did you hear that?" he asked to nobody in particular. "God, that was unbelievable!"

The current look of awe on his face warmed Stephanie's heart. He really deserved this and judging from the reaction that just happened, New York was going to show him nothing but love when he went out there. She gave his hand one final squeeze before letting go and reaching for the water bottle on the desk behind her. She handed it to him and smiled. The three of them stood there during the commercial break, Stephanie feeling as proud as she ever had, Vince preparing himself for the return of one of his biggest superstars and the man who, quite frankly, was probably going to end up part of his family one day and Paul feeling a myriad of emotions.

"WE'RE BACK IN 10 GUYS! 9…8…..7….."

He listened to whoever was counting them back from commercial and took one more deep breath. This was it. After nine long months, every drop of sweat, every tear, every painful rehab session, every fight, every piece of will power and determination he had in his body, every ounce of passion he had for this business, all of it was about to come to a head right now. He looked into Stephanie's eyes and drew strength from them. He was ready for this.

"**TIME TO PLAY THE GAME"  
**

Suddenly Madison Square Garden absolutely ERUPTED at the first sounds of his entrance theme. Paul literally sucked in a breath. He was almost breathless! As he walked a little further towards the curtain and got closer to the sheer force of the noise from within the arena he couldn't help but turn and look at both Vince and Stephanie one last time. "Mother fucker!" he muttered in disbelief. He finally walked through the curtain and almost felt his heart stop as the reaction practically tripled or quadrupled in size, rippling throughout the The Garden and reverberating into his body. He couldn't fucking believe it! He kept his eyes trained on the ground as he poured the water from the bottle over his head, silently thanking every single fan in the building right that second for giving him such an incredible response. He literally couldn't hear himself think it was so loud. As he lifted his head and saw every single person on their feet, every emotion that had been pent up inside of him for all this time spewed forth in a huge ball of energy. The Game was back. He had made it.

* * *

Stephanie walked out from the bathroom in their hotel suite and smiled as her eyes fell on him. He was lying on the bed on his back staring into space with that silly little grin on his face. She couldn't blame him. The reception he had received tonight was mind blowing. She wasn't even being biased when she said that it was probably the loudest pop she had ever heard for any WWE Superstar ever. It honest to God blew the rook off of MSG. The place was literally shaking and she could only imagine what it must have been like for him to stand in the middle of it all and soak it in. Crawling into the bed beside him, she ran her fingers along the firm grooves of his abs, then slowly up his chest and finally to his face which she turned around to face her. "You still not over it, huh?"

"Of course I'm not over it! My ears are still ringing. Fucking hell, Steph I…I'm speechless!"

She just smiled at him before cuddling into his side, her arm draping across his abdomen. "I told you they would go crazy for you. Everybody wants a piece of The Game. Unfortunately for them, you belong to me and me only."

Paul chuckled as he glanced down at her. "Is that right?"

"It's absolutely right," she nodded, shifting so she could look up at him. "You are mine baby."

"Well I can tell you right now that I have absolutely…no problem…..with that…at all," he mumbled in between placing kisses all over her neck and shoulder. The buzz from earlier tonight still coursing through his veins and the feel of her in his arms had him feeling on top of the world.

Stephanie's eyes slid shut at the feel of his soft lips on her skin and she reached up to run her hands through his hair. She gave one final thought to what had happened tonight. That thought mixed with the emotions he was stirring inside of her with his touch right now had her reeling. She grabbed his face from her neck and looked him dead in the eye. "I'm so proud of you, Paul. You have no idea…." She trailed off, feeling her eyes water.

He saw her big blue eyes grow glossy and immediately reached up to wipe the tears gently away.

"I love you," she whispered softly, unable to hold it in any longer.

Just when he thought this night couldn't get any better, she looked at him with such emotion in her eyes and said that. His heart thumped madly as he leaned down and melded his lips to hers. He rolled her to her back and intertwined their fingers as he lifted her arms and lay them down above her head. He swore he felt something running from him into her and vice versa. She opened her mouth and their tongues tangled together. He lost himself completely in her kiss, his tongue winding with hers endlessly. Just like he belonged to her, she too belonged to him. She was absolutely everything to him; his partner, his lover, his best friend. And no matter what she would always be his baby.


End file.
